


Harbor

by IncandescentAntelope



Series: Beacon Universe [4]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Action, Aged-Up Yuri Plisetsky, Alpha Christophe Giacometti, Alpha Victor Nikiforov, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Pirate, Angst, Babies, Bonding, Breastfeeding, Cameos, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Childbirth, Click/Clickmates, Comfort, Complete, Confident Katsuki Yuuri, Drinking, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family, Flashbacks, Fluff, Long-Haired Katsuki Yuuri, Long-Haired Victor Nikiforov, Love Confessions, M/M, Male Lactation, Married Couple, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mpreg, Mutual Pining, Omega Katsuki Yuuri, Omega Phichit Chulanont, Original Character Death(s), Parenthood, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Pregnant Sex, Reunions, Scenting, Sexual Harassment, Sibling Love, Smut, Swearing, Vicchan Lives, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-10-07 09:41:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 38,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17363630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IncandescentAntelope/pseuds/IncandescentAntelope
Summary: This fic is set in the year before and immediately following the epilogue of Beacon.





	1. The King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set in the summer before the epilogue.  
> Contains: drinking, fluff, a bloody flashback and hints for the future.  
> Written with help from [ Lauriana25](https://archiveofourown.com/users/Lauriana25)

Gentle tugging at his scalp pulled Yuuri from the haziness of his afternoon nap. A small stretch of his spine pushed his rear into the warmth of his mate, who was presently playing with the omega’s raven hair, gently twisting intricate plaits in the midnight strands. 

“V-Vitya…” Yuuri whined quietly, his voice heavy with sleep.

“Yes, love?” Viktor’s thick accent had emerged, as it usually did upon waking.

“Can you braid my hair like yours?” came the meek question, asked so delicately Viktor couldn’t possibly refuse. The alpha had been braiding his hair in the western style for years; Chris had taught him how to tuck strands in as he braided, securing everything in place. His hair always unwound itself in the normal style and a loose tail was quickly dismissed... Viktor had pulled one too many silver hairs from his own mouth for his liking. The only reason he hadn't cut it all off in frustration had been Yuuri begging him not to, nearly hissing at the idea of it.

“Of course, darling. Can you sit up for me?” A groan escaped both men as they sat up, the quiet popping sound of Viktor’s spine pulled at Yuuri’s bond as the silver-haired man stretched his arms above his head. It wasn’t painful, but just enough to grab his attention. Yuuri stretched in a similar way, forcing life back into sleep-addled limbs. 

Yuuri was seated at the edge of the massive bed. Viktor loved seeing the omega like this, soft and floating through the post-nap haze. Hairbrush and comb in hand, the alpha sat behind Yuuri, wrapping long legs around him. He had also plucked a vial of oil from the cabinet in the privy. Sectioning off the thick curtain of black hair, Viktor set about brushing out the tangles. They were entirely unavoidable, given their near-constant bed hair, both of their libidos were through the roof with their cycle nearing once again. Viktor worked as gently as he could, knowing his mate's skin was hypersensitive with his heat approaching. Finally free of knots and tangles, Viktor poured some of the oil into his palms and ran his fingers through the cascading mane. The oil worked immediately, taming the fine flyaways and smoothed the gentle waves. Yuuri's hair gleamed like ebony in the afternoon sunshine. 

Viktor began braiding at the crown of Yuuri’s head, leaving behind a few loose bits to frame his face in the way he loved so much. He added more hair as he worked his way down the middle of Yuuri’s head. The long plait perfectly bisected his upper back, stretching to hang between his narrow shoulder blades. His hair was growing so fast. Viktor vaguely remembered this function of omegan physiology; a happy omega flourished, both emotionally and physically. That was one of the benefits of taking good care of an omega… a happy omega thrived, and was more likely to bear pups. Viktor’s alpha rumbled happily at that; he was taking care of his mate. He was providing. His beautiful husband was happy. And so was he. 

Viktor tied off the bottom of the plait with a leather thong, dyed the lovely midnight blue Yuuri favored. A small, silvery moon and a few silver beads lay at the ends of the string. Viktor silently thanked his past self for spotting the beads at market. The trinkets chimed lightly with every small movement from the omega, and the light sound was music to their ears. Yuuri beamed as he pulled the thick braid over his shoulder to inspect the gift. 

“It’s beautiful, love. Thank you.”

“It’s only beautiful because it’s made of you, Yuuri.” Viktor kissed his cheek lightly, smiling as he took a long drag of his omega’s scent. Yuuri blushed and smiled, leaning a bit to the side, allowing Viktor a better angle to scent him. He relaxed into Viktor’s chest, happily purring at the warmth of his skin and the wet breaths against his throat.

The pair fell back asleep for a truly embarrassing amount of time, wrapped in each other's arms and scents. When they woke, Yuuri nearly pushed the alpha out of bed, having promised him a day in the market while they were at port, just the two of them. (As well as a bit of spoiling before his heat truly arrived.)

............

“Vitya, do we need anything else from the market?” Yuuri asked, leaning into Viktor’s arm as they walked through the streets, his canvas shopping bag full of new purchases from their day out.

“Mmm, I don’t think so, love. Unless you’ll indulge a silly old man with a treat or two?” Viktor nodded his head toward a sweets shop, the smell of chocolate wafting through the air. Yuuri laughed and agreed, allowing his husband to pull him through the throng of people and into the shop. The facade of Captain melted like snow in June as Viktor saw the breadth of chocolate creations on shelves and in cases, nearly squealing with glee as he filled a bag to the brim with goodies. 

_“Vitya, not too much. Moderation, sweetheart.”_ Yuuri chided across their bond as Viktor moved to grab a second paper bag. _“You said you were only having one or two…”_

 _“One or two **bags** , love. Besides, this one’s for you.”_ Viktor tried to recover, immediately relenting when he saw the disapproving look on Yuuri’s face. He hated when he made that face. 

_“You’re all the sweetness I need, Vitya. Just one bag, please.”_

Viktor huffed, but set the second bag down and paid the frazzled shopkeep for his first bag, wasting no time in popping a few chocolates into his mouth and offering Yuuri one. _“Let’s find somewhere to sit.”_ Viktor hummed as he licked his fingers clean, scanning the street for the nearest mead hall. Or just a place to rest their tired legs. Cerulean eyes locked onto the image of a flagon, carved into a wooden sign above a door and grasped his mate’s hand and they made for the tavern.

They picked a booth near the window, Yuuri soaking in the warm sunlight through the glass. Viktor ordered their drinks (a flagon of mead and a cup of tea for himself and Yuuri, respectively) and settled into his seat, watching happily as Yuuri buried himself in his new book, no longer needing to squint as he read. The alpha glowed with pride at the sight of Yuuri wearing his new glasses, looking every bit a scholar. Life aboard the _Stammi Vicino_ had stolen away the beautiful softness of his cheeks, but Yuuri still retained his tendency to flush when he was flustered or nervous. That same flush had been laying on Yuuri’s cheeks for a few days, and Viktor wasn’t complaining. Not in the slightest. The flush was a rosy gift from the gods, and he had every intention of worshipping them forever for it. And whoever had their hand in making Yuuri’s beautiful face in general.

“I can feel you staring, Vitya.” Yuuri mumbled without looking up from the tome in his hand, the gold of his wedding band sparkling in the waning sunlight.

“Can you blame me, Yuura? You’re breathtakingly gorgeous and I love the way you look with a book in your hand.” Viktor replied before reaching for his flagon of mead and drinking deeply. Yuuri laughed and peeked mahogany eyes up at his mate, smiling and quickly shifting back to the book as he pulled his teacup to his lips and drank a small sip. 

Viktor pulled his gaze away from his husband reluctantly, allowing his eyes to scan the tavern they had stumbled into, finding more than a few of his sailors spending their share of gold on drink and food, and most of them with omegas resting in their laps. 

He might have been among them, all those years ago. He had, in fact, been among them before he met Yuuri. But now, all he could see was Yuuri. The only true match for his soul, the loveliest and purest being to exist in this world, was his mate. He sighed, meeting Yuuri's questioning eyes with his own moony ceruleans, his cedary musk thick and calming in his nose. The omega smiled and let a tiny bit of his own cherry scent into the air, earning him a happy, rumbling growl in return. 

Yuuri buried himself back into the text and mumbled a quiet, 'Vitya…’ in a tone that bordered chiding. The alpha whined slightly but pulled his eyes away again and leaned back into the worn leather, warmed by the late summer sun streaming through the window. Viktor watched as faceless strangers strolled past the tavern, gently reaching for Yuuri's hand and lacing their fingers together. Viktor yearned for the simple touch, the easy contact that they always seemed to find in each other. 

The quick thrum of Yuuri's pulse, the heat of his skin, and his ever-sweetening scent screamed of his upcoming heat, which had finally leveled out after so long. It had been about a year that Yuuri had finally fallen back into rhythm, having a heat every three months or so. And that fact alone has Viktor crooning with pride. (And not to mention that their cycles had now fully synchronized.) His mind had been full of thoughts of a family, the once far off hope now so tantalizingly close to being a possibility.

He lost himself in thoughts of Yuuri, and of the two of them raising their family together. Of a dark-haired child hoisted over his shoulders, the spitting image of his lovely husband. He pressed his wedding ring to his lips, savoring the warmth of Yuuri's skin against his, between his fingers and pressed against his palm. He thought of a child with soft silver hair at Yuuri's chest. Hope swelled in his chest that his daydreams weren't just silly fantasies. But that maybe, just maybe, the gods had given him a glimpse into the future.

“Do we need anything else before we head back?” Yuuri asked quietly without looking up, taking a sip from his cup. Viktor thought carefully for a moment, mentally checking off their list. 

“I don't think so, Yuura. Do you need anything for next week?” The alpha asked with a smile, feeling himself grow giddy as a smile crept across his mate's cheeks.

“I think we're ready. D-” Yuuri interrupted himself, opting to continue his thought in private. _“Do you think this time will be it for us?”_

 _“I always hope it is, love. But you know I'll always stay by your side, no matter what.”_ Viktor crooned and cupped that soft cheek. _“No matter what.”_ He repeated as a single sparkling tear beaded at the corner of Yuuri's eye.

 _“No matter what.”_ Yuuri nodded, a muted purr vibrating in his throat.

“Let's head back, hm? Someone has a nest to build.” The younger man beamed bright like the moon on a cloudless night, a happy, chirping purr falling from his lips. He finished his tea nearly too quickly, almost choking on the herbal blend, fumbling slightly as he packed away his new book. Viktor tossed back the dregs of his mead with a smile and lavished in the sound of his mate’s mind whirling with ideas for his nest; how best to weave the light cotton sheets together, which cushions to place where, something about _‘Alpha’s shirt from the Islands’_ , and a thousand other considerations murmured too fast for the Captain’s mind to comprehend. 

“Let's go home.” Yuuri replied, and Viktor's heart throbbed, even all these years Yuuri had been calling the _Stammi Vicino_ home, it still caught in his throat every time. 

They set out into the street, having paid their bill and left a hearty tip at Yuuri’s insistence. The air had cooled significantly, a breeze catching the hem of the Captain’s shirt chilled him to the bone. As they walked, Yuuri curled himself nearer and nearer to Viktor’s side, his instinct pushing him closer to his alpha as his heat grew closer. Viktor beamed as the grip around his arm tightened and the sweet, honeyed cherry filled the air around them. The rolled sails of the _Vicino_ were visible in the bay, anchored among the other galleons and vessels too large for the docks. 

_“You know, love, I do still have that shirt from our stay in the tropics.”_ Viktor crooned over their bond, his heart throbbing at the overjoyed squeak that escaped Yuuri’s lips; the younger man wrapped his arms around the alpha’s shoulders and planted kisses innumerable on his cheeks and at the silvery, half-moon scars at his throat.

Viktor laughed and pressed a kiss of his own to Yuuri’s lips, drinking in the soft affection. “We’re never going to make it home at this rate, Yuura.” Viktor said gently, earning a quiet giggle and a bright smile. 

“Don’t want my kisses, huh? Good to know, Vitya.” Yuuri teased and snaked his arm through the crook of Viktor’s elbow, setting off toward the docks in step with his husband once again. 

The Captain’s eyes scanned the endless throng of people passing through the cobbled street, humming absentmindedly as they neared the creaking docks. A thick mop of dark hair and blue eyes caught his attention, a familiar pearly white smile glittering in the late afternoon sunshine. Memories swam back to him in flashing moments; memories of clanging blades in a cloudless midnight.

_“Hah! Do you really think you can take the King's crown, Nikiforov?" the pompous call of the tanned alpha made Viktor growl, his teeth grinding together in a vicious snarl. "You're good, I'll give you that-" the Captain smirked as he parried Viktor's advance, his own blade gleaming in the moonlight as he lunged forward, "-you might have made a fine pirate one day-" Leroy continued to taunt the young alpha, his grin growing as he brought his sword down, "-but after this treachery, I'll feed you to the sharks in pieces!" Viktor cried out as his arm suddenly burned, the blade bringing a ribbon of blood to the surface of his skin._

_"Give it up, Captain!” Viktor cried, their blades crossed, a simple iron crossguard clashing against his ostentatious jeweled one. The sleeve of his shirt had quickly soaked red. “You won’t take the victory tonight and you know it!”_

_The crew circled close by, eyes burning in the darkness, primal instincts thriving on the scent of blood, on the sound of blade upon blade. Leroy called name after name, his smug grin faltering as, one by one, a crew member drew a dagger or pistol. Not to defend their Captain. But to point squarely at his face. Leroy's eyes grew wide, the damned smile finally dropping as Viktor parried his sword, almost knocking it from his hand. The silver-haired alpha approached slowly, backing him towards the mast. He drew his blade up until it was level with the Captain's throat. Leroy snarled, panic and fury clutching at his chest._

_“You’re all traitors! Gods-damned mutineers!” He screamed as Viktor’s sword lay flat against the man’s throat, digging into the wooden mast behind him; a painless threat._

_“And **you** are incompetent, selfish, and running your sailors ragged, Leroy.” Viktor snarled, easily disarming him and handing Christophe the ugly jeweled weapon. The silver-haired alpha forced all of his dominance into the humid air between them, bending the other alpha into submission._

_“How dare you attempt to dethrone me? ME? You’re nothing more than a whelp!” Leroy spat, a frenzied wildfire blazing in his blue eyes. “This was his idea, isn’t it? Your mate? Didn’t think you could keep that secret for so long, huh? Think I wouldn’t notice the mark on his neck?” Viktor pressed the blade into his throat, the cool metal making the other alpha yelp._

_“Leave him out of this.” Viktor hissed. “This is about you.” The man below him had quivered against the touch of his blade, the sharp scent of his anger waning to fear and submission. “This isn’t a damned throne, Leroy. ‘Captain’ is a role of trust and leadership. Not of selfish control. You’re weak. For all the pomp you put up, all this false confidence… you can’t possibly lead these men.” Viktor growled low, dangerous._

_"And I suppose you can?" Leroy spat at Viktor's feet. "You? A pretty-boy alpha led around by the dick by his omega bitch?"_

_Viktor dug the tip of his sword further into the fool's throat, a bead of blood blooming underneath. "I am my own man. No one controls me. Not Andrei, and certainly not you. And I control no one. So what say you, lads?" Viktor called over his shoulder, not taking his eyes of the snarling man in front of him._

_"I stand by Viktor!" Viktor recognized Chris' voice and felt a surge of pride grow in his chest._

_"As do I!" his heart swelled as Andrei moved to stand by him, his pistol aimed at Leroy's chest._

_"Aye!"_

_"I'm with ya, Nikiforov!"_

_More and more voices sang out his name, the chant echoing in the night. With each call, Leroy shrank against the mast, a pitiful whine escaping his lips as the arrogant mask finally slipped to reveal the pathetic, incompetent man beneath. Viktor drew his lips up in a lazy smile and sheathed his blade._

_"Your crew have spoken. Or should I perhaps say… my crew? Which makes this my ship, I think. So, Leroy, I suggest you get your ass off my ship." Viktor replied coolly._

_A raucous cheer filled the night air as several crewmates surged forward, grabbing Leroy and hoisting him into the air. The last thing Viktor heard and saw of Leroy was the man begging for mercy, his face twisted in defeat as he disappeared below deck, to be thrown in the brig and dropped at the next port city. The men cheered even louder at the slammed door that followed the former captain's departure._

_“Congratulations, Captain.” Christophe said, a flattened hand pressed to his forehead in salute as Andrei placed Leroy’s terrible feathered hat on Viktor’s head, murmuring a matched ‘congratulations, Captain’ across their bond with a soft smile._

It was him. It was Leroy, strolling in the easy air of September. Headed right toward him and his mate. Viktor bristled for a moment, his lips curling back in a snarl almost subconsciously before the crowd thinned around him, revealing the rest of the man’s party as they neared the pair.

Viktor couldn’t help but notice the brilliant smile: it looked genuine, like nothing he had seen before. He looked for all the world a happy man, smiling and singing with a dark-haired, blue-eyed boy on his shoulders, a young girl holding his hand and singing along. A woman walked at his right, a simple white shift trailed behind her, rippling in the wind like a frothing wake; her blue eyes sparkling like sapphires in the sun. 

The children held his hands as if he was their only anchor to this world, and the woman gazed at him sweetly over the girl's head, her eyes full of love and a smile curling back her red lips. 

“Viktor?" the alpha stilled as Leroy locked eyes with him, a furrow dragging his brows together for a moment. "Viktor Nikiforov, is that you?"

Leroy pulled the boy off his shoulders and placed him in the woman’s arms before he paced forward. Viktor instinctively felt for the hilt of his sword that he had left aboard the ship. Perhaps he was wrong about The King after all. He was stunned as Leroy beamed at him and enveloped him in a bear hug. Yuuri gawped beside him, slack-jawed and clearly confused by a strange alpha embracing his mate.

"Captain Nikiforov, you old seadog!" Leroy held Viktor at arm's length and looked him up and down, his chest puffing out. "You look incredible! ‘Captain’ clearly suits you! And who's this?"

Yuuri yelped as the alpha suddenly turned to him, his bright blue eyes shining. Not as brilliantly as Viktor's, but still dazzling. Viktor quickly took his hand, the touch soothing the wary omega.

"This is Yuuri. My mate and my husband." Yuuri couldn't help but purr quietly; no matter how many times he heard them, his omega still swelled with pride at the titles. 

Leroy's smile faded a little, the light dimming in his eyes. "I… I heard about Andrei. My condolences. Truly. What I said back then-"

Viktor held his hand up with a slight smile. "Ancient history."

"No." Leroy took Viktor's right hand in both of his, grasping it firmly. "I was blind back then. Ignorant. What you went through… I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Please, accept my apology."

Viktor nodded, eyes wet with unshed tears and shook his former captain's hand. "Apology accepted, my old friend." The other alpha breathed deeply, as though a huge anchor had been lifted from around his neck. 

"Papa! Papa!" the girl appeared as if out of nowhere, yanking on Leroy's arm impatiently. "Momma says I can't have the dolly!"

Leroy scooped the child in his arms and gasped dramatically. "Momma said that? Well, I'm sure Momma has her reasons, sweetheart."

"But, Paaaaaaapaaaaaaaa! I want the dolly!" Yuuri felt a strange surge in his chest at the way the girl drawled that one word, her eyelashes fluttering and her lower lip quivering. An image of a silver-haired girl beseeching Viktor like that, or a raven-haired boy reaching for him like that, made his omega both purr and whine at the same time.

Leroy rolled his eyes and smiled. "Well, duty calls, I suppose. It was good to see you again, Nikiforov. And it was a pleasure to meet you, Yuuri. Keep an eye on this one, he's always getting into trouble!"

Yuuri chuckled. "Don't I know it." he cast a sideways glance at his mate and shook his head fondly; Viktor had pressed his fingertips to his chest, feigning offense. Yuuri found that look both adorable and comical, and so perfectly Vitya.

Viktor touched the brim of his hat, nodding respectfully to Leroy. Yuuri touched his forehead with the knuckle of his forefinger with equal respect to the other alpha. The pair stood in silence as Leroy made his way back to his family, bouncing his daughter in his arms to make her squeal with laughter. As the family disappeared among the throng of merchants and sailors, Yuuri reached for his mate's hand, his omega seeking the touch of his alpha.

"He's a new man. Amazing what all these years could do..." Viktor smiled at Yuuri fondly. 

"Maybe that's what fatherhood does to you." The words left Yuuri's lips before he could stop them. A bright blush bloomed on his cheeks and he cast his eyes to his boots.

A low laugh rumbled in the alpha's chest as he pulled Yuuri into a tight hug. "Is that a hint, darling?"

Yuuri tried (and failed) to squirm out of his alpha's embrace, sinking against Viktor's chest. "Would that be so bad, Vitya?"

"On the contrary, love," Viktor said sweetly, "that would be perfect."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of foreshadowing, a bit of flashback, a little bit of everything. We see that coup that made our Vitya Captain and what becoming a father might do... as well as the happiness that can be found at the bottom of the barrel. 
> 
> Welcome to the follow-up! This 6-chapter fic will follow our crew through the year before and after the epilogue and will be mostly episodic, focusing on a different relationship in each chapter, and in true 5+1 fashion, the last one will be a reunion, but we (and the crew) will be meeting someone new. (If you have any guesses as to who you think I'll be bringing back together, leave it in the comments! Anyone who guesses all five remaining correctly gets extra kudos!) I'll be updating this weekly on Fridays! Subscribe or bookmark if you don't want to miss an update!
> 
> UPDATE - 01/29/2019  
> This fic is no longer a 5+1 because I can't control myself. Oops. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! Say hi in the comments! Leave kudos if you liked! Fuel me!
> 
> Love you all!  
> ❤️ IA ❤️  
> [Tumblr](https://incandescentantelope.tumblr.com) | [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/IAtheAuthor)


	2. Peach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set concurrent with Harbor Chapter 1  
> Contains drinking, a sassy omega and straight-up frick fracking. (Capital **S** Smut, friends.)  
> Written with help from [Lauriana25](https://archiveofourown.com/users/Lauriana25)

Another stop off at port had relieved Chris of his duties for a few days, his Captains giving him free reign to roam as he pleased until Sunday. He had even provided a healthy purse of petty coin to spend, which Viktor attributed to the generosity of his beautiful husband. Chris thanked Yuuri with a kiss on the cheek and a teasing punch in the bicep to the silver-headed alpha. 

There was always a little hope in the blonde alpha, that the days he spent alone on shore he would find _him_ , the right _him_. The omega he had met in that tavern, all those years ago. Seeing his Captains so happy and blissful by each others’ sides gave him hope. That he might someday, find that with someone. With the brown-eyed omega. His cheeks softer than peach fuzz. His dreams had become full of those enchanting eyes, his soft, sweet voice and laugh… his Peach, he’d taken to calling him. Chris hadn’t asked for his name that night, and the omega hadn’t given it.

Chris saw his face in every crowd while on land, every head of brown hair might have been his. Every light, airy laugh could have been him. But it had been almost six years. No, seven. Undoubtedly he had found another alpha and moved on, but Chris always hoped. He had sworn off brothels, off whoring, off trying to find any other. He only wanted Peach. He had indulged the fantasy a few too many times, of star-crossed lovers; of ships passing in the night, of destiny and of fate, drawing them closer to each other.

But another weekend at port had passed uneventfully; another day of strolling through the market, napping under a tree in the park, reading a book he didn't care about, and drinking to dizziness in the wee hours of morning.

Sunday morning dawned and the headache hit him in the temples like a cannonball, a throaty groan escaping his mouth involuntarily. The sunrise hurt his eyes, burning even behind his eyelids. He rolled away from the sun streaming through the window and onto his side, encountering a warm lump under the blanket.

_Gods damn it._

He'd done it again, the pull of his alpha too great to push back with silly romantic fancies of falling in love first. The drink drew it out of him. Loneliness was beginning to win the battle. Maybe he was meant to be alone, a life unmated. A life without his Peach.

His mind wandered to the sweet, brunette omega he'd met the night they had met Yuuri, as it always did. The sweet, lemongrass scent of his hair, the laugh like a tinkling bell. His heart ached. Chris sighed and curled around the warmth beside him. He could at least pretend it was him, the coffee-coloured skin and chocolate eyes.

His partner shifted with the contact, a sleepy sigh escaping his lips. His skin was soft and warm, a dark mop of messy bedhead turning to face the alpha, tucking under his stubbly chin and purring gently, a quiet, soft thing that Chris hadn’t felt in a while. It felt nice against his chest, his alpha happy at the pleased noises of the omega. He wrapped his arms around the smaller body, pulling him in that much closer. He smelled it then.

_Lemongrass._

It couldn't be, right? After all this time? 

The scent grew stronger, in response to the sudden burst of his own rosy pheromones. The purring deepened and Chris felt the flutter of eyelashes against his bare chest. He groaned at the now overwhelming scent filling his nose and felt himself growing hard.

“Mmmm, finally awake, huh?” the omega whispered into his flesh. _The voice was right._

“Barely, _mon cher_.” Chris rumbled in his morning voice kind of way. His partner laughed. The laugh was right too. “Can I see your eyes, beautiful?” the alpha crooned, burying his nose in the soft tangle of dark hair. The light, tinkling laugh vibrated against his chest again and met Chris's hazel with dark, chocolate brown eyes. Chris didn't bite back a gasp.

“I found you.” The man whispered, it was him. It was Peach. “You, sir, a very difficult man to track down.”

Chris blinked, barely believing it was him. It was really him, after all this time. He had hardly changed in all the years since he had met him.

“You… you found me? You’ve been looking for me?” Chris spluttered, eyes blinking slow and the pounding headache easing with the scent filling his nose from the omega.

“Yep. I’ve been looking for the man who showed me the best night of my life, and I finally found you. And I’m going to repeat, you were _very_ difficult to find. What, are you into travel? Or are you a pirate or something?” Chris’ blood chilled, a tad ashamed of his profession for the first time in years. He was going to have to tell the omega the truth. Even before he had learned his name. 

“Perhaps. Does that scare you?” Chris asked, the facade of bravado waning as the brown-eyed beauty pushed more of his fresh scent into the soft space between them, something spiced joining the lemongrass. Chris’ alpha was pulled to the surface fast as lightning, recognizing the unmistakable pull of arousal in the omega’s scent.

“Not in the slightest, sailor.” He murmured, his voice dropping a few steps into a register that sounded like pure honey in the alpha’s ears, the edge of a purr resonating at the end of his sentence. 

“Ah, well… that’s good, I s-suppose…” Chris stammered, still trying to push against his alpha. 

“Everything alright there, sweetheart?” The scent became overpowering then, as the omega pressed closer to Chris, nuzzling into his chest softly, leaning to the left ever so slightly to reveal his throat, unbitten and screaming for Chris to lay his mark there. Before the alpha could blink, he was salivating and hovering centimeters above the flesh there. He recoiled, nearly throwing himself off the bed in the process.

“Oh my gods, I’m so sorry, I… I can’t believe I almost did _that_ … I, I should go.” Chris scrambled to climb out of bed, needing to get that delicious scent out of his nose, all the while his alpha screamed for more, for just another whiff, just a tiny taste of that coffee-colored flesh. The omega reached across the small bed and yanked him back down to the mattress, the alpha yelping at the sudden movement.

“Oh no you don’t. I didn’t track you halfway around the world for you to run away at the last second. Get back here.” Peach demanded, Chris’ alpha responding to the command from an omega in a way it never had before. He tried to suppress the erection between his legs, to fight the urge to claim the omega like an animal. _Name, you idiot. Get his blasted name,_ his rational brain told him as he laid back down in the narrow bed, the omega curling up in his chest again.

“So, um, what’s your-”

“Phichit Chulanont. Nice to meet you, Christophe Giacometti, First Mate of the _Stammi Vicino_.” Chris was only momentarily flustered by the interruption, before his statement registered in his sleep-and-pheromone-hazy mind. His name was _Phichit_. What a lovely name. From the South-Eastern Islands, if his memory of geography and linguistics served him.

"Ohoho, and what else do you know about me, Phichit?"

“I know that you were the third son of a wealthy noble, but you renounced your title at sixteen, changed your name and never looked back. I know that you favor rum to vodka, and wine over mead and you can't seem to get it up when you're drunk." The alpha spluttered, cheeks burning as the omega - Phichit, the name honeyed sweet to his ears - ticked off his intel on his fingers with a shrewd smile. A smile that looked too damned good at this hour of the day.

"How… how do you know all that?"

Phichit scoffed. "It took me forever to find it all out, but people tend to remember a face like yours. Not to mention that curvaceous rear of yours, though I'm glad to hear that fewer people remembered that.” He teased, unsubtly checking the alpha out. Chris’ hands subconsciously fell to his ass. He thanked the gods for gifting him such luscious cheeks, that an angel like Peach might have remembered him for them.

“I- I can’t believe you’ve been looking for me. How? How did you find me?” Chris asked, rumbling low in his chest at the thought of the man searching for him too.

“I have my ways.” He replied simply, the purr growing louder, the scent growing stronger. 

“I’ve… I’ve been looking for you too, Phichit. Really. Every town we’ve stopped off in. I always look for you. You’re an awful long way from that sh _HIIIThole_...”

Chris’ voice pitched into another yelp as Phichit’s hand trailed from his forearm to the muscled lines of his abdomen, to the soft tuft of hair at the base of his cock. He gasped at the omega’s boldness, pulling more of his scent into his mouth. 

"Well. You weren’t doing a very good job looking for me if I found you first. But that’s beside the point. You've been away all this time and think I'm interested in _talking?_ That after seven years of pining for you we’d just sit down and have a little chat about life? Nuh uh. Not the catch up I had in mind, sweetie. And your little drunken fumble last night hardly counts."

“That bad?” Chris smiled sheepishly, knowing his drunk counterpart was no better than a novice in the sheets. He felt himself hardening again, Phichit’s warm hand gently pulling at the flesh of his deflated knot.

“Like I said. Couldn’t get it up. But you were so cute, mumbling ‘Phich’ over and over that I couldn’t bring myself to walk away.” The beginning of a memory stirred in Chris’ mind, of trying to convince himself that the man he had pulled into his lap and had been kissing and groping had been his Peach. 

“Ohh, I wasn’t saying ‘Phich’. I was saying ‘Peach’. Like the fruit. That’s what I’ve been calling you since I- _shit!_ ” the omega cut him off again with an unfair squeeze at the base of his cock, chuckling at the throaty gasp it pulled him the alpha.

“I thought I said no more talking?” The omega bossed, silencing him (quite effectively) by slotting soft lips against the alpha's, drinking in the rumbling groan that fell into his mouth. 

Bursts of lemongrass filled Chris's mouth as they kissed, Phichit’s small hand stroked the heated flesh of his cock; the alpha found himself gently rocking into his palm and his wandering hands finding the curve of Phichit's hip. He trailed down that long line to the fleshy roll of his ass, savoring that tiny hitched breath that escaped against his cheek. It was soft, but strong, the type of strength built from years of… 

Chris broke the kiss suddenly, his heart aching at the way the omega’s eyes brimmed with lust in the early morning light. 

“Phichit, um, are you... still… a p-” 

“Are you asking if I'm still a hole for hire, blondie?” Phichit groaned, as if the question had been asked so many times it made him ill. “Because the answer is no, I gave it up and started dancing. I've found I like earning my keep that way much more than letting strangers warm my bed.” He replied nonchalantly, the tiniest of smiles on his cheeks.

“Oh… I'm glad you do something you enjoy, _mon cher_. I'd love to see you dance sometime.” Chris actually spoke an entire sentence without stuttering or being interrupted by the omega, something he never thought would happen again. Phichit smiled a little wider, his eyes shining with the compliment and a happy burst of scent rolling off his skin.

“A certain alpha showed me that my time might be better spent looking for a long-term solution rather than living life night-to-night.” The omega's voice dropped, leaning into Chris’ touch. _Had… had he done that?_ Was he the reason Phichit started dancing instead of whoring? His alpha crooned with pride, his chest puffing out a bit. Endlessly rich chocolate eyes met hazel and Chris found he was smiling too, nearly to the point of pain in his cheeks. He lifted his hand to caress his cheek, the fine peach fuzz still soft against his skin. 

The omega nuzzled into the touch, purring softly and pressing in closer. Chris felt the pull like gravity, catching his lips in a kiss that deepened slowly, a languid, unhurried thing. Soft breaths puffed against his skin as their scents twined together, Chris’ own deepening with his arousal, a blooming rose dipped in honey. When the alpha’s hand dropped from his cheek to his hip, the omega nodded gently, sliding somehow even closer, pressing himself in a long line against Chris’ body. His skin was warm and soft under his touch, and with the moaned encouragement from Phichit, his Peach, he ran long fingers under the curve of his ass, earning a gasp and another slight shift of his posture, opening himself up to the alpha’s touch.

The blonde groaned as his fingers found slippery flesh, wet with slick; Phichit answered with a tempting roll of his hips and a breathy moan.

“Do I have to jump on, or are you gonna start _fuUU-_ ” Chris interrupted the sass with the press of one fingertip against the furled muscle of the omega’s entrance, his body pulling him in with almost no resistance. “Ooohhhmygods-” he moaned at the intrusion, rocking back against Chris’ finger, the sound of wet flesh pulling a blush to the alpha’s cheeks. It wasn’t long before he was adding a second finger, stretching the omega easily and quickly. Chris absently wondered if that was an effect of the dancing or a sign of an upcoming heat.

That thought ripped a low growl from the alpha’s chest; another finger slid in with the two, and the omega keened when Chris teased at the bundle of nerves inside him.

“What were you saying, _mon cher?_ Am I gonna start what?” The alpha growled into his ear, low and dark with want.

“Haahh, _shit_ , Christophe…” the omega whined, canting his hips up and back, a wordless request. But the alpha wanted to hear it, he wanted to hear the words fall off those soft lips.

“ _Peach…_ ” Chris moaned into his ear, his deep croon musical and tinted with arousal. The blonde watched as the hard muscled planes of his shoulders and back tensed and writhed under his touch, spine bowing and arching. The delicious sound of his blissed moaning was swallowed up by the flesh of his chest, where Phichit had rested his lips against the heated skin, growing wet with sweat and heaving at the sight of it. Of his Peach, finally in his arms and moaning his name. How many nights had he spent fantasizing about this?

"Christophe- Chris… Alpha, _please-_ " Tears of frustration pricked at the corners of Phichit's eyes. He had waited so long for this. Dreamed about it every time he was alone during his heats. Fantasised about it as he danced, pretending he was dancing for olive-green eyes, blonde hair and strong arms. Now he was here, at long last. 

He didn't want to wait anymore. 

"Alpha, p-please _take_ me!"

“I thought you’d never ask, beautiful.” The alpha growled hungrily, quickly withdrawing his fingers and rolling the omega onto his side, and wrapping himself around the smaller body. He smeared his cock with the leftover slick on his hand and growled low at the sensation over his flesh, moaning as Phichit’s cries grew more and more desperate; the way he begged damn near broke the alpha’s heart. 

“So e-empty, alphaa-hah, please _give it to me…_ plee _eEAASE!_ ” The omega keened as the head of Chris’ cock pressed against his hole, only hesitating for a moment to savor those beautiful sobbing noises.

“Then have me, sweetheart.” Chris whispered into his ear, plunging in and ripping a ragged shriek from the omega. The alpha wrapped both of his arms around Phichit’s frame, teasing at a nipple, stationing one hand at the base of his cock, dripping with precome and flushed red at the tip.

 _"Yeeeesssss!_ " Phichit screamed, tears streamed down his flushed cheeks. He canted his hips back, desperate for every inch of the growling alpha to fill him, claim him, ruin him for anyone else. 

No one else. Only him. Only Chris. Only Alpha. His Alpha. 

"Y-yess Peach, I'm yours. And you're mine. My _omegamineminemine-_ " Chris growled, the sound an aphrodisiac in and of itself to the mewling omega, not realizing in his haze that he had said all that out loud. The alpha began to pull at the heated, pulsing flesh of Phichit's cock, teasing and twisting at an achingly slow pace, milking the delirious sounds from those coffee-colored lips.

“Chris, oooO _Ohhmygods_ , there! _R-right there!_ ” Phichit cried, his instinct blurring anything beyond those hands, beyond the sensation of the alpha inside him. He felt his hips moving of their own volition, thrusting into Chris’ fist and back onto his cock, arching into the fingertips swirling and pulling and pinching his nipple, writhing in the endless waves of pleasure.

“So perfect for me, darling, so warm and tight for me… _shit_ , I’m n-not going to last long, Peach. Not gonna l-last. F-feel so _gooooooood~_ ” Chris moaned into his ear, sucking the soft lobe into his mouth and picking up his pace around the omega’s cock, twitching and messy in his palm. “So good for me. S-so good, after all this time.” His alpha growled low and dark in his chest, greedily drinking in the omega’s cries.

The omega devolved into nothing more than his animalistic cravings and desire, losing the capacity of speech with the heat of Chris’ body wrapped around his, the cock spearing him open, the wet noises of the place where their sexes met and the growl of his Alpha so deftly taking him apart. The screaming need of his omega to be claimed, to be marked by this man pitched higher and higher, finally reaching its climax with a tight clench of every muscle in his body and the shuddering release of every iota of his strength. Alpha had taken it all.

The omega babbled jumbled recitations of the alpha’s name, mingled with ‘yes’ and ‘please’ and ‘close’, and it ripped a feral growl from the blonde immediately preceding the unbearably tight constricting of his flesh buried deep inside the omega, hot spend spilling over his fingers in shuddering, heaving breaths.

“Do you want my come, sweetness?” Chris growled, carefully holding back his orgasm. He loved hearing his sweet Phichit’s voice so wrecked with pleasure.

“ _Yes!_ Gods, please Alphaaaaa- _wantitpleaseee~_ ” Phichit moaned with a squeak, pressing himself further against Chris, arching his back in a sinfully feline display, presenting despite their reclined position. Chris felt the tension in his gut uncoiling, growling deep in his chest as every nerve in his body was set alight. 

“Fuckfuckfuck- take it all, _ma petite_ , hhaah, Peach- ohhhhhmygod, _PHICHIT!_ ” The alpha roared as he spilled into the omega, his chest heaving and a rumbling growl rolling off his tongue. As terribly romantic it was, Chris had never felt an orgasm so satisfying as this; as feeling the fluttering clench of the omega around him, of his sweet voice mewling with overstimulation and tears rolling down his cheeks with the stretch of the alpha's knot inside him. 

The swelling flesh locked them together, and the omega's whimpering cries quieted, shifting to a soft, happy purr that vibrated against Chris's chest. The alpha peppered gentle kisses against his temple and his hairline, finding even the taste of his sweat warm and heady on his tongue. Chris moved to wipe off his hand, but a small noise from the omega stopped him.

“Yes, _mon cher-_ ” The question hadn't finished falling from his lips before the omega had wrapped fingers around his wrist and pulled his hand to his lips, carefully licking and sucking long fingers clean of his spend. The alpha released a huffing moan as his tongue swirled around the tip of each digit and laved long stripes over his palm. His chest heaved at the small suckling noises. _His_ omega's tongue laved hot and wet against his flesh and his mind spun, the alpha growling low and loud at the sensation. Chris found himself positioned over the pulsing gland under the omega's skin, the lemongrass scent pouring out in a mesmerizing pull like the tides. 

“God, Phichit… you smell so good here.” Chris moaned against his throat, the slow roll of the omega's pheromones sending jolts of electricity down his spine. It felt as though he was being drawn in, ever closer and deeper toward the omega, a star falling to the earth. 

_Mine. Mineminemineminemineminemine._ Chris's alpha roared in his ears, the smell of his omega screaming to be claimed, to be made his. He flicked his tongue out to taste that flesh, to find the spot where he would lay his mark.

“And wh-what do you think you’re doing?” the younger man squirmed against him, the jovial tease returning to his hoarse voice, a strained laugh following his words. Chris snapped back to the moment and jerked away from the pulse of the omega’s gland, tugging against the swollen flesh lodged inside Phichit’s body. The alpha groaned at the pressure and another tired chuckle rolled from the younger man’s mouth.

“I-I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” Chris apologized softly as he willed his alpha into submission, the feral creature in him screaming to sink into the tender, swollen flesh of his gland, to claim, to mark, to bind itself to the omega. But Chris knew better, despite how much he wished he could.

“Christophe…” His light voice called him back again, blinking heavily in the now undoubtedly afternoon sunshine. “I didn't say stop.” The omega said simply, his voice strained and tired. 

“Phichit, I- I almost bit you! We would have b-bonded! That- that's a permanent thing, I can't believe I almost-”

“Don't you think I would have stopped you when you were licking me there half a minute ago if I didn't want you too…?” Phichit let his sentence trail off with a salacious smile. That heated grin went straight to Chris' cock.

“Do you… want me to- to bite you?” The alpha spluttered, all air suddenly leaving his lungs and his heart hiccupping.

“Now you're on the right track, blondie.” Phichit laughed again, the musical sound that had set Chris's heart on fire so many years ago. The alpha pushed himself back up, nosing at the reddening flesh of Phichit's throat, laying kitten licks and huffing breaths as he took in lungfuls of his warm, earthy scent. 

“Phichit, may I bond with you? May I be your alpha?” Chris asked breathlessly against his skin. The omega craned his neck as a reply, stretching the coffee-coloured skin taut over his gland, now red and beating with his pulse.

" _Tch!_ So formal, Chris. I didn't have you pegged as the old-fashioned type." Phichit teased, yet the alpha could smell the heightened arousal in the omega's lemongrass scent, hear the purr growing louder from his toned chest, see the way his dark eyes dilated with need.

"Is that a yes, Peach?" Chris nosed at the tempting gland again, grinning at the tiny whimper from the man beneath him, his alpha shifting more to the forefront of his mind as the smell of his mate, _gods, please let him be his mate_ , grew thicker, almost choking him in the most wonderful way.

Phichit grabbed a handful of blonde curls with an impatient hiss. "Gods, Chris, please bite me! I've waited so long for this..." a tear pricked at the corner of his eye, and Chris felt his own chest heave at the sight. He gently brushed the tear away with the pad of his thumb.

"Me too, _mon cher_." He whispered thickly, his own olive-green eyes wet with unshed tears and a bright smile blooming on his lips. "I've passed too many nights at sea imagining this, imagining you in my bed, your scent on my pillow, my mark in your skin for all to see."

"Chrissss, m-mark me, please, don't make me wait anymore..." Phichit gasped, the sound both sinful and musical to the alpha, as Chris drew a wet stripe over his gland with his tongue, marking the perfect spot.

"I love you." Chris whispered against that spot. 

"I love you too." came the reply.

.............

“So you found him then?” Viktor asked, peering over the golden rims of his glasses, carefully eyeing his new mark, red and swollen on his throat. Chris laughed and ran his fingers through his hair, gently scratching at the short, dark hairs at the back of his neck.

“I did. I found him, Captain. Requesting permission to bring aboard a new recruit?” The first mate asked sheepishly, a light laugh echoing from the omega on Viktor's lap. 

“Permission granted. I'd love to meet your new mate, Christophe.” Yuuri said with a gentle purr, a chuckling growl from the alpha below him.

“You know, _Captain_ , you're going to need to learn how to say 'no’ at some point.” Viktor sighed, “Or these men will walk all over you soon enough.” Both Yuuri and Chris laughed at that, knowing full well that Viktor couldn't deny Yuuri anything.

“Duly noted, _Captain_.” Yuuri purred, a low growl rolling from the silver-haired alpha with the use of his title.

Chris watched with a roll of his eyes as his two Captains gazed into each other's eyes, no doubt whispering sweet nothings across their bond. Sometimes he wondered if he just disappeared from their vision, or if he faded into the background like a wave against the bow of their ship.

 _"Chriiiissss..."_ Phichit's velvety voice suddenly filled his head and he growled, a low, throaty sound that made Yuuri and Viktor turn to him sharply, the pair blinking wide-eyed at their First Mate.

“Well, Phichit is waiting for me down below, so I'm going to head back-” the first mate stammered as the air in the room thickened with pheromones. Neither of the two said a word as he departed.

As Chris briskly strolled to his cabin, he barely kept his alpha under control as Phichit continued to utter sinful things in his mind, telling him all the filthy acts he wanted Chris to do to him, and how many times. And in which positions. A part of him hoped Phichit would behave himself when he finally met Yuuri and Viktor. Another part of him hoped he was exactly like this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CHUCHUMETTI FOREVER FIGHT ME  
> just kidding please don't, I have weak wrists
> 
> I've been waiting to get Phichit back into this mess of an AU since the beginning, guys. And I'm so glad to finally give Chris a mate who lasts longer than a week. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! See you next week!  
> Love you all!
> 
> ❤️ IA ❤️  
> [Tumblr](https://incandescentantelope.tumblr.com) | [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/IAtheAuthor)


	3. Poodle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set a few months before the epilogue.  
> Contains: Baby angst, a callback, and a puppy.  
> Written with help from [Lauriana25](https://archiveofourown.com/users/Lauriana25)

“Vitya, I promise I’ll be alright.” Yuuri pleaded to the silver-haired alpha who was presently moping like a child. “If I recall, you’re the one who can’t be left alone.” He teased, laughing a bit when a petulant whine fell out of his mate’s mouth.

“Yuuuuuuuuuuri! That was cruel…” Viktor pouted, sticking out a fat lower lip at the low blow. 

“You know I love you, sweetheart, and you know I've forgiven you for it. I merely mean to point out that I'll be completely fine. And we have this to keep us close, even at great distance.” Yuuri gently tapped at the scar on his throat, a sensation that Viktor felt rippling through their bond. A flood of cherry filled his nose as Yuuri poured his calming nature into Viktor's mind like a salve, soothing his worry. 

“I'm sorry, Yuura. I just get a little anxious, letting a vision like you stroll around unattended. Imagine if another alpha would see you and try to take you from me?” Viktor's protest came a bit weaker with the sweet scent of his mate filling his nose and now his mouth.

“I know you don't want to let me go anywhere without you. But I'm going to be with Phichit, and no man is brave enough to try and attack two omegas at once… especially two bonded omegas. If it will make you feel better, I can carry the knife.” Yuuri extended his hand expectantly as the alpha scrambled to pull the weapon from his boot. Viktor had insisted on giving his mate a working understanding of how to protect himself, on top of the simple self-defense he already knew, and had a small sheath sewn into his boot for a knife. 

Yuuri slid the small blade into his own boot and planted a soft kiss on his mate’s lips as they said their goodbyes for the afternoon; Viktor and Christophe had some rather... unpleasant business in the seedy end of the port town, and Yuuri preferred to stay away from the bloodier tasks of being a Captain (which was exceedingly fine by the alpha). His legs were aching with disuse and Phichit had been whining at him for a day on the town, both of them deciding that they needed to get off the boat and enjoy the waning days of autumn before they faded.

 _“Promise you'll return to me, safe and unharmed, Vitya. And I'll do the same for you.”_ Yuuri whispered across the bond, and Viktor mirrored his words in their intimate mental connection. Yuuri had spent the last four and a half years bonded to the notorious Captain Nikiforov, to the man who sent fear into the hearts of his rivals. This fear made doubly so as word spread of the complete demise of an enemy band who had tried to kidnap the Captain's mate. Rumor had it that the omega had taken matters into his own hands and had utterly eviscerated the attempted kidnappers, four at one time. (It was only one man, and Yuuri had no shame at the cheap shot to the sensitive place between the man's legs he had taken in self-defense.) While their safety was never guaranteed, the small assurance of the whispered promise set both alpha and omega at ease.

The two parted for the afternoon with a kiss that most likely would have resulted in Viktor being late, if not for the omega's persuasion to _'hurry along, silly Alpha’_ , and the insistent pounding on the cabin door from the first mate. He was as agitated as Viktor was, having to part from his new mate. Yuuri and Phichit saw their alphas off, gleefully watching as their mates’ rears walked themselves down the ladder and onto dry land, Phichit whistling loud and proud, while Yuuri breathed a frustratingly lewd compliment to his mate across their bond. He swore he could hear a whine echoing in his mind quickly cut off by a growl. 

The two watched as their mates strolled into the warm afternoon breeze, and disembarked themselves when they could no longer see a head of silver hair or a mop of blonde curls.

“So Yuuri, what's the plan?” Phichit asked, his sing-song voice light and happy in Yuuri’s ear.

“I don’t really have one. I was just planning on wandering and maybe finding a new book or two.” Yuuri replied, eyes tracing the rows of shops and pubs, the streets shockingly empty for a placid weekend afternoon.

“Oh. Well. Do you mind if we stop at a cafe or something? Chris kept me up so late last night that I didn’t wake up in time for coffee.” The other omega whined, Yuuri’s mind filling in the blanks and immediately regretting doing so. 

“Sounds like a plan. It’ll be Captain’s treat.” Yuuri laughed with a waggle of his eyebrows, jingling the small purse of coin in his satchel, having claimed his portion of the payout from last month’s raid. Phichit giggled and mirrored Yuuri’s expression. In the past few months, the two had begun to feel their friendship deepening into a Click. Something Yuuri had read about, but never truly understood; the platonic bond that formed between omegas. Yuuri couldn't suppress the smile that fell across his face as his friend pulled him into a café.

The two had spent what felt like an eternity together over the past few months, but every day together felt as if they were reuniting, not getting to know one another. Perhaps they had known each other in a past life, perhaps in another world they might have met years ago. But in that time, in their world, they may as well have known each other for their entire lives.

The air was warm and thick with the scent of coffee, the usually pleasant smell churning in Yuuri’s stomach like rancid dairy. He fought back the urge to heave, breathing deeply as Phichit rubbed his back gently. He drank coffee every morning, why was it now such a terrible stench in his nose?

“Feeling alright, Yuuri?” The other omega chirped, carefully attuned to his clickmate’s discomfort.

“I’m f-fine, just a little queasy is all. Maybe I’m coming down with something.” Yuuri replied, swallowing back the unease in his stomach. 

“Let’s get you something simple then. Peppermint tea?” Phichit suggested, easing Yuuri to a booth in the sun. Yuuri nodded, feeling for the place in his mind where he and Viktor were connected, finding a soft roll of calming pheromones and a low growl. Neither one said anything, simply rested in the limited sense of togetherness they could have in that moment. The serving girl set a steaming mug of tea in front of him, calling him out of that quiet warmth and back into the cafe with Phichit.

Yuuri savored the taste of the drink Phichit had recommended, a smear of sweet cream catching on the pointed corner of his lips. The younger omega laughed into his hand and pointed at his own lip, Yuuri yelping with embarrassment as he wiped away the foam.

“Enjoying it then?” Phichit teased and sipped his own drink, a quiet, contented purr resonating in his throat. Yuuri laughed and nodded, a matching purr rumbling in his chest. The bond he’d formed with Phichit was something from a storybook. He never imagined he would have found such a friend, such companionship with another omega.

“Feeling any better? Everything okay, Yuuri?” Phichit questioned softly, poking his cheek gently from across the table.

“Much better, Phich. Everything is perfect.” The older omega replied with a smile, his own words sinking like a rock in his stomach. He swallowed back a swell of nausea and blinked away the dizziness, owing it to whatever had made him feel queasy earlier. “Let’s get moving. We don’t have a lot of time before the boys are back.” Yuuri finished the rest of his drink and left a small stack of coins on the table as they left.

The outside air seemed to cleanse Yuuri’s nose and throat of the smell and the two meandered through the streets, arms linked. The pair split after a while, Phichit ducking into a shop with a pair of ballet slippers in the window, and Yuuri finding himself lost among neat shelves of books. Yuuri trailed fingers down leather spines of sailing books, of updated atlases, and of course, Yuuri couldn’t leave without stopping by the shelf of poetry and fiction. 

Nothing caught his eye, choosing instead to simply wander back toward the door, stopping short as a shelf of brightly-colored leather grabbed his attention. Fairytale anthologies, nursery rhymes, easy-readers. Children’s books. His heart fell to his stomach as he recognized a title, a translated version he had read with Mari and his mother. _The Ice Dancer_. The book looked exactly as he had remembered it, held in his mother’s hands in front of the hearth after supper. Silver font embossed on pale blue leather and a small snowflake stamped into the cover. He opened the book almost reverently, not reading the Common Tongue translation, but the Eastern Highlander that he still remembered, the lullaby his mother had sang for him all those years ago.

_“If you find you’ve lost your way_  
_You needn’t search_  
_I’ll be your beacon_  
_I’ll light your way”_

_“To find your shore again_  
_To find your shore again”_

He felt as a tear slid down his cheek, quickly dabbing it away with the sleeve of his shirt. The gentle sound of a throat being cleared called Yuuri from the moment, meeting a pair of kind, bespectacled hazel eyes in the low lamplight of the shop. The omega woman would have startled Yuuri if not for the soft, calming scent that filled the air between them.

“Interested in that one? It’s quite popular.” She chirped happily, standing on the very tips of her toes to replace a book on a particularly high shelf.

“Oh, ah, no. I’m… I can’t…” Yuuri stopped himself short of the ugly truth. He closed the book and moved to set it back but felt something pulling against him, his omega telling him to keep it. _Stupid omega, I’m not pregnant. I never will be_. Another tear pearled at the corner of his eye.

"I know, sweetheart. I know how it feels. The emptiness." The shopkeep said gently, re-shelving the book in her hand and gently brushing away the dust on the spine.

Yuuri collapsed to his knees, clutching the book to his chest. "It's been four years..." A hand fell to his stomach without thought. Four years of trying and getting his hopes up every cycle. Four years of waiting and disappointment and heartache.

"Don't give up hope. Never give up hope." The omega replied, dabbing away at his tears with a silk handkerchief. "Life has a way of surprising us." Her kind eyes shone behind the lenses of her spectacles, a soft smile stretched across her soft cheeks.

"How can you be so certain?" Yuuri squeaked as she helped him to stand from the dusty floor.

"Because life surprised me." And almost as if on cue, two bare feet appeared toddling down the steps from the apartment above the shop, tiny hiccups filling the room. “Beau?” She turned to the sound, a doting purr and a swath of calming scent cast over the three of them.

“Mommy…” a small boy with wavy blonde hair whimpered, yanking at Yuuri’s heart in an ugly way and the shopkeep gathered the child into her arms, cooing gently as the small, sad noises were quelled to shallow, wet breaths.

“I'm so sorry, sir. He just misses his Dadda, is all. Isn't that right, sweetest? But Dadda will be home soon, won’t he, Beau?” She turned to the boy in her arms and peppered his button nose with kisses and showered him in soft, chirpy noises that made the child giggle. Yuuri's omega soared at the sound and his stomach turned in an unfamiliar way. It felt like it had flipped in excitement, or anticipation. But of what, Yuuri didn't know. He moved to re-shelf the story book, met by a clicking tut from the shopkeep. 

“Take it, honey. I've got a feeling you'll be wanting it.” She replied with her soft smile and warm laugh, the kindness easing the burden on Yuuri’s mind, even for a moment. 

“Thank you, so much.” Yuuri breathed as he bowed and made his exit, tucking the new book into his satchel. The air around him felt so much lighter, squinting to see the clocktower telling him he still had a few hours before Viktor and Chris would be returning. With Phichit nowhere in sight, he plopped down on a bench in the shade, opening his newly acquired book and reading the words he remembered from his childhood. 

A small, pathetic noise yanked him from his reading, the instinctive pull of his omega at full attention. The whining shot right to Yuuri’s heart, just as the child in the bookstore had. Yuuri tucked the book away again, scrambling to find the source of such a sad sound.

He traced the noise to a long, narrow alleyway tucked between two buildings, the whimpering cry echoing off dingy brick. His omega screamed, begging Yuuri to follow the noise, a pull so strong he could hardly fight it, even if he wanted to. Yuuri ventured into the alley, squeezing into the tiny space, nearly needing to hold his breath to fit. Tucked in a discarded crate was a pile of matted brown fur with sad eyes blinking at Yuuri as his omega begged him to dote, to tend. Carefully, Yuuri reached an arm down to the animal, purring a soft encouragement as its button nose tentatively sniffed at his fingers. 

“Hello, little one…” Yuuri cooed, releasing a bit of his gentle scent, coaxing it to follow him as he slowly moved back toward the street. He would have scooped up the animal in a moment if not for the tight space, the alley left him no room to bend over. The puppy jumped out of the crate and ran after Yuuri with on its tiny legs, only to yelp in pain when a tie-off of twine held him back, wrapped tightly around his neck. Yuuri could have hissed at the thought of leaving such an innocent animal to starve in a dirty alley. He quickly unsheathed the knife from his boot and cut the dog free, gathering the puddle of dirty fur into his arms and turning back to the ship. 

The moment the pup was safe in his arms, Yuuri felt a flood of something unfamiliar wash over him, his omega hissing and spitting that someone would do something so cruel to such a helpless creature. _This is mine, protect, protect, protect_. His omega screamed in anger, his heart raced in his chest as he held the dog close. As if the pup could sense his anger, a small whine sounded from its throat as it rested its fluffy head against his heart with a tiny yip and display of a pink tongue.

"I love you", the gesture said, " You're my person." All anger and pity melted away from Yuuri like ice on a summer's day. Hugging the tiny creature closer to his chest, he bathed it in his scent, a natural instinct to swaddle the pup in his soothing pheromones taking hold.

"You're coming home with me." He whispered with a smile and quickly turned on his heel to head back to the ship.

“Yuuri! Wait for me!” Phichit called from behind him, stopping him in his tracks as his clickmate caught up. “Did you find something good?” the other omega asked with a grin, carrying a paper bag with what smelled like new satin inside.

“Y-yeah, something _really_ good.” Yuuri replied with a smile, turning to reveal the puppy in his arms. Yuuri noticed just how thin the dog was, and how badly it shook in his arms. Phichit squealed for a few minutes as they made way back to the ship, dropping their new purchases in their cabins before heading below deck to give their new friend a much-needed bath and a proper meal.

...

A soft knock rang against the heavy cabin door, startling the omega, despite the fact that he had been expecting it. He pulled the freshly bathed and happily fed poodle into his arms and cooed softly, hearing Viktor’s steps approaching him from behind. He willed his heart to slow, to calm down.

“How was your day, Yuura? I missed you so… much…” his mate trailed off as he smelled something new in their den, someone new. His pupils dilated and his lips pulled back into a tight snarl; Yuuri recognized the first signs of his husband’s guarding. 

“Viktor, st-stop! It’s alright, it’s just him.” Yuuri stammered, turning to show him the puppy in his arms, eyes screwed shut, awaiting the chiding disapproval, of his mate telling him to return the dog. Instead he heard a soft croon, accompanied by a warm wave of his alpha’s protective pheromones.

“And who is this, Yuuri?” the silver-haired alpha murmured quietly, extending his hands in a request. Yuuri, dumbstruck, set the puppy in his mate’s arms, his inner omega a bit nervous at handing off the animal. Viktor met the pup's chocolatey eyes and Yuuri felt the barest hint of melancholy pass through his mate's mind across their bond. Did the dog remind him of… of his Makkachin? Panic shot through Yuuri like a bolt of lightning and he scrambled to explain.

“I found him while Phichit and I were out, he was starving, and tied up in an alley, Vitya. It was so sad, I couldn’t walk away from him. I just couldn’t.” Yuuri replied, more words than he had intended falling from his lips. He flushed a bit at the way his husband’s eyes softened as they met his, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth in a way he hadn’t been expecting. “You- you aren’t angry?”

“Why would I be angry, Yuura? You found a creature in need and you helped. Your omega guided you. How could I possibly be upset about something so beautifully natural? And a friend so sweet and fluffy?” Viktor cooed, scratching the dog under his chin and growling happily as the puppy flopped bonelessly into the touch. “He looks just like her…” Viktor murmured under his breath, a tear pearling in those silver eyelashes. He sighed wetly and looked up at Yuuri with a brilliant smile. “You've given me another chance with my first friend, Yuura… I could never be angry with you for that.” 

Yuuri's jaw dropped open, his omega positively beaming at the praise from its alpha, and a low purr resonating in his throat at the sight of Viktor so gently doting on the animal. The puppy shifted in his arms, standing on his back paws and stretching to sniff at Viktor's chin, an act so pure and adorable that Yuuri couldn't help but smile, the dog peppering licking kisses at the sharp line of his jaw.

"Do you have a name for our new crewmate?" Viktor asked in a teasing tone, crooning happily with the loving kisses the puppy was giving him.

Yuuri flushed crimson. "Well, actually...."

"Yes, Yuura?" Viktor pressed, easing the atmosphere with a calming push of his cedary scent. 

"I wanted to call him Vicchan!" the omega blurted it out; perhaps if he said it quickly, it wouldn't sound so bad.

The Captain pursed his lips and tilted his head to the side. "Vic...chan? Is that a name from your homeland?"

Yuuri scratched behind his ear, his eyes focused on the bundle of fluff in his mate's arms. "Sort of… it's kind of a nickname."

The Captain smiled, a crooked stretch of his lips. "Oh? Pray tell, sweet, a nickname for what?"

"For… Viktor…” he screwed his eyes shut tight, waiting. Waiting for the laughter, the teasing. It was a stupid idea, of course it was.

"You're too good to me, my Yuura. Wanting to name our puppy after me. And he’s even the same breed as my Makkachin! Although, this little sailor looks a tad smaller than Makka… it’s fate, love." Yuuri spluttered for a moment, his mind reeling at the coincidence. 

“Really? The same breed?” Yuuri breathed in disbelief, as Viktor passed him back the puppy, his eyes fell to the puddle of fluff. Maybe it _was_ fate. Maybe the gods took mercy on his heart, hearing his prayers and begging for a child. Perhaps this was what he was meant to have, Viktor and the puppy. That he was never going to carry Viktor's children. That he was never meant to. 

Tears began to prick at the corners of his eyes at the thought, the ugly swell of inadequacy turning his stomach inside out. Viktor slowly leaned forward, so slowly the omega didn't even register the movement until he felt something featherlight and warm on his cheek.

With an owlish blink and a tiny gasp, he realized that his husband had kissed him. 

"V...Vitya?" Yuuri croaked, his voice lodged in his throat as Viktor gazed down at him, an almost sleepy smile on his lips.

"The gods truly blessed me the day I stumbled into that tavern." the Captain breathed, pressing his lips to Yuuri's like he was made of porcelain and the slightest pressure would break him. The gentle contact set Yuuri's lips on fire, his omega purring loudly and eagerly, curling against his mate's chest and desperate for more.

The pup in his arms squirmed between then, a pitiful whine escaping that tiny mouth.

 _”Oh, my gods, so sorry, sweetheart. Didn't mean to squish you!”_ Yuuri cooed in his mother tongue in response, immediately withdrawing from Viktor's touch.

“Wow, Yuuri…” Viktor breathed, his eyes moony and wide as saucers as the omega purred softly into the chocolatey fur. “I don't even know what you said, but all I can think about is how beautiful this is. Seeing you so soft and tender with another soul…” the alpha left his words unsaid choked by the tears welling in his own eyes.

He imagined Yuuri, doting on their children like this, of cooing softly and bouncing a babe against his chest as they cried. Of rosy cheeks and sleepless nights, of Yuuri… in motherhood.

“Vitya… why are you crying?” Yuuri asked, his own voice rough with tears.

“Someday. Just… someday.” The alpha replied, pulling Yuuri in for another embrace, carefully avoiding the writhing body of the dog between them. He released his mate, having drawn in a deep sigh of his sweet scent, tinged with something sweeter, something different. It almost smelled like honey. Like he might be… just might be. A few moments of thought told him his math was right. But the Captain pushed away the thoughts before they took hold.

“Me too, Vitya.” Yuuri breathed and hugged the poodle closer. 

“Welcome aboard, Vicchan.” Viktor crooned, nuzzling into the soft fur now happily dozing in Yuuri’s arms. A soft, heady scent of honey wrapped around the three of them and Viktor smiled. 

Maybe. Just... maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vicchan lives! Yuuri finds a little bit of hope, and Vitya has his suspicions. I've been really excited to share this chapter with you all, I hope you enjoyed a little bit of fluffy, soft Victuuri. (ps. this chapter is a bit shorter because next week's update is a biiiiiiiiiiig one. like over 7k big. sorry not sorry in advance.)
> 
> I'd like to give credit to Lauriana for her help with naming/fleshing out the "Click"/"Clickmates" dynamic between Yuuri and Phichit, I've never seen a term for closely-knit omegas (other than being a subset of a pack, but I wanted something that didn't necessarily involve an alpha), so we made up our own! Thank you!
> 
> Thanks for reading! See you all next Friday!  
> Love you all!
> 
> ❤️ IA ❤️  
> [Tumblr](https://incandescentantelope.tumblr.com) | [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/IAtheAuthor)


	4. Commodore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set post-epilogue, early February. (Yuuri is about eight months along.)  
> Contains: strong language and smut smut smut.  
> Written with help from [Lauriana25](https://archiveofourown.com/users/Lauriana25)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please see the end of this chapter for an important note!

_“CAPTAIN! GOLD AND BLUE BANNERS ON THE STARBOARD BOW!”_ the lookout called from the crow’s nest, a telescope pressed to his eye. 

“Good eye, Kenjirou! That’s a friendly sail!” Viktor bellowed in return, nearly giddy that the day had finally arrived. He had been in correspondence with a few old friends for months and had finally tracked down an elusive figure from the past. A crewmate, from the cargo barge he had sailed in his youth. They had arranged a meeting, terms of an agreement to discuss. (As well as a true reunion, it having been nearly ten years since they had last seen each other.)

 _“AYE, AYE CAPTAIN!”_ the beta shrieked again, Viktor squinting up into the morning sun to watch the boy salute. He had hardly grown from the tiny lad he’d taken in so many years ago, still as small as he had been at sixteen. Yuuri’s light laugh carried into Viktor’s ear across the bond, a musical thing that warmed Viktor’s heart every time he heard it. He was having lunch with Phichit, sharing a break from preparing meals with Cookie, a task that Yuuri presently had little hand in, now that he couldn’t spend too much time on his feet. His belly had begun to truly swell and so, unfortunately, had his ankles. And his knees. And his hips. 

Every movement was painful, and Viktor felt it too, the sympathetic link of their bond tying their bodies to one another, as well as their minds. Of course, there was pain that Viktor couldn’t feel, like the apparently incessant need to visit the privy, or the unique sensation of a child kicking from the inside, but nevertheless, Viktor always jumped at the opportunity when his mate informed him that the baby was moving. 

He would press his cheek against Yuuri’s stomach and feel the movement. The sharp jut of a tiny elbow or the press of a foot against his face always made the alpha coo and fuss, an act that Yuuri found so completely heart-meltingly beautiful that he had cried when it happened the first time, and had been blaming the pregnancy hormones every time he cried over it since then. 

_“It's almost time, Yuura.”_ Viktor said gently, hating to disturb the limited free time his mate had.

 _“I'll be up in just a moment, Vitya.”_ Yuuri's voice danced across their bond, and the alpha sighed at the dulcet tones of it. _“Phichit said yes, by the way. And he'll watch Vicchan for us.”_ Yuuri added, a bright smile splitting the alpha's face, his heart fluttered in his chest. He still needed to ask Chris about their plan, but that would come after negotiations had finished, when a fine year of whiskey was served in crystal glasses and cigar smoke curled lazily into the air. 

_“Excellent. Tell baby Papa says hello.”_ Viktor heard Yuuri laugh lightly again, the noise curling his lips into a smile without even thinking. He ruffled Vicchan’s chocolatey fur, a small, pink tongue darting out to greet him.

 _“Little one, Papa says hellooOOoh, gods…”_ Yuuri’s voice pitched with something that felt like pained surprise. The noise pulled at Viktor’s instinct to protect, the fine hair at the back of his neck standing on end, his stomach clenching with worry.

 _“Yuura? Is everything alright?”_ Viktor asked, nearly ready to burst into the galley and defend his mate, his instinct trigger-happy with the baby’s arrival growing closer.

 _“Yes, Vitya, I’m fine. Baby’s just very active today, that’s all.”_ Yuuri replied and Viktor’s alpha crooned at that, wishing he could feel the movement in his husband’s belly, to touch their child through the taut flesh of his stomach.

 _“Alright, love. Come up when you’re ready.”_ Viktor crooned across the bond, making for their cabin to ensure things were ready. 

It was Yuuri who insisted on the negotiation being held in their cabin, sternly telling Viktor that he had just as much of a say on the treaty as he did, as co-Captain of the _Stammi_. Viktor couldn't have refused if he tried. His mate's stubbornness had emerged en force as his pregnancy had gone on, so Viktor agreed without contest. Yuuri was too adorable to refuse. 

“Provided, Vitya, that you and I, and Chris and Captain Altin wear that blocker.” Yuuri had found a scent-blocking salve the last time they were at port in the Southern Islands. The balm was simply rubbed into the scent gland, masking any scent and leaving behind something sterile and quite similar to soap. The beta doctor who had sold it to him had had the personality of a brick wall, sullen and brooding, not caring at all for Yuuri's gentle small talk, and had no interest in where Yuuri was from or why he has enough gold for the rare item, just that he paid and left him alone. And he had said as much. But Yuuri was exceedingly glad to have purchased the balm, now quite confident in his choice. At least the man's dog was friendly. 

“I won't have you all stinking up my nest with your posturing.” Yuuri had said that morning, his nose crinkling up at even the thought of foreign alpha stink in his den. Yuuri plucked the salve from his vanity and handed it to the alpha with a smile and one last deep inhale of his husband's scent before it was muted by the balm, his omega whining a bit at the loss. 

“I promise, love. We’ll be on our best behavior for you. And we'll wear the scent blocker. Anything to keep your omega happy, my darling Yuuuura.” Viktor had crooned low and gentle into his mate's ear, and the stubborn, snippy omega melted away, leaving a soft, purring Yuuri behind, swaying gently in Viktor's arms. 

The door opening shook Viktor from his reverie, the warm scent of his mate filling his nose even across the room. After a few final preparations (and a truly embarrassing amount of scenting) both Captains Nikiforov massaged the muting salve into their skin and made for the deck to welcome their guest aboard.

…

Yuuri's omega purred happily and loudly at the sight of his mate dressed to the nines, done up in his leather and embroidered silk, and despite Yuuri’s pleading, the silly feathered hat. _'It's traditional, Yuura. Besides, I think I look rather handsome with the hat’_ , he had said and Yuuri was past arguing with his husband by that point. His rear looked utterly squeezable in those tight pants and he bit his lip to keep his hands to himself, resting them on his stomach instead. Viktor had a similar concern, keeping his hands off Yuuri's tempting _everything_. His mate accentuated the curve of his pregnant belly with a pale blue shirt that clung to his chest, fluttering loose and free over the growing swell of their child inside him. The alpha crooned softly at the sight of his Yuuri, smiling up at him for a single moment before snapping his eyes front once again, winding a long arm around Yuuri’s waist and resting on the curve of his outer thigh.

A board had been dropped between the two ships that were now carefully tethered together, the blue and gold sails of the _Hero's Pride_ fluttering against the ebony black of the _Stammi Vicino_ , and Yuuri already had a few suggestions for their combined banners. Viktor, Yuuri and Christophe listened as the sharp blasts of the whistle signaled the Captain and First Mate of the _Hero's Pride_ , and Yuuri watched as the two alphas shared a confused glance. 

_“Vitya?”_ Yuuri murmured across their bond, earning a quiet whisper back, 

“I sense an omega, and Chris does too.” All three watched as the Captain of the other vessel crossed the makeshift bridge: the man was intimidating to say the least. While he was shorter in stature than Viktor and Chris, the man still commanded attention, his steely grey eyes sharp as daggers. A short, blonde boy following in his footsteps, a brown paper package in his hands. The scent of him hit Yuuri's nose before Viktor's.

 _“It's him, Vitya. The boy. The smell. I can’t. I’ll meet you inside.”_ Yuuri said quickly, turning on his heel with a hand over his mouth and nose, and ducking into the cabin, escaping the suffocatingly heady ginger scent of the other omega. The pregnancy had intensified nearly every scent aside from his own, Viktor’s and Phichit’s (and by extension, Chris's), and it drove him to sickness more often than not. 

“The pipes called that the Captain and the First Mate were coming aboard." Viktor said slowly, confused by the presence of the omega, wondering if he had, for once, misheard the sharp blasts of the tinny whistle from the _Hero's Pride_.

"Yeah, and you're fucking looking at him!" the omega scoffed with a roll of his eyes. "So your precious mate can be a Captain but I can't be First Mate?" he snapped, pointing an accusatory finger at the cabin door Yuuri had just fled through. 

"Yuri." The Captain said bluntly. The soft tone of his voice suggested it was more of a request than a command, but the omega clamped his mouth shut anyway, scowling at the silver-haired alpha. The Captain turned and tipped his hat; Viktor returned the gesture before pulling him into a hug, laughing and greeting each other in their shared language. 

“Captains, for mine and Yuuri’s sake, can you speak in the Common Tongue?” Chris laughed as the other alphas approached, grins plastered on their faces. 

“Alright, alright.” Viktor laughed, a deep, throaty thing. “May I present Captain Otabek Altin of the _Hero's Pride_ , hailing from the Mid-North. An old friend.” Viktor said fondly, a smile creeping into his features. “Captain, I apologize for my Yuuri’s sudden absence, his nose is a bit sensitive with the pup on the way. He wasn’t expecting another omega today.” He beamed with pride, relishing in every opportunity to tell everyone that his mate was pregnant.

“Congratulations, Captain. You told me in your letter, we’ve brought a small gift for the pup, if you don’t mind. Yuri?” Altin said quietly, and the small blonde all but shoved the package into Viktor’s hand.

“Congrats. You knocked up an omega.” Yuri bit, his green eyes flashing up at Viktor like a challenge. The omega flinched and shrank back, a small whine falling from his lips as Altin’s eyes narrowed.

"Yuri…” Altin raised a brow at the blonde.

"I'm fine, Be-Captain!" a faint blush dusted the omega's cheeks for a second, but a huffed breath later and it was gone. "Let's get this over with so we can back to..." he trailed off, stopping his words before the sentence came to fruition. Viktor and Chris exchanged a look. Viktor smiled warmly nonetheless, thanking the pair for the gift, promising to pass it along to Yuuri.

“Thank you, Captain and First Mate of the _Hero’s Pride_ , for agreeing to parlay. We’re hoping we can reach an agreement that is favorable to both parties, and the beginning of the next grand adventure.” Viktor said with bravado, nodding to Altin in thanks. “But if you don’t mind, I need to ask you to use a scent blocker before we sit down to begin drafting the terms.” Viktor withdrew the pot of balm from his coat pocket, earning a sharp hiss of disgust.

"No! No way in hell! I'm not fucking covering myself with that shit! If your omega can't cope with my scent then he can just-"

"Yuri." Altin growled. "If you don't feel comfortable doing this, maybe you should go back to the _Pride_. I'll call for you if I require your presence."

Yuri snorted. "Are you _actually_ dismissing me?"

"I'd prefer if my First Mate stayed aboard my ship. You know the chain of command, Yuri."

The omega opened his mouth to argue but stopped. Viktor noticed a flash in Altin's steely eyes and recognized the beginnings of a conversation across a bond. It was then he saw the crescent-shaped scars on the alpha's throat, which had previously been hiding below he high collar of his coat, and a matching mark on the omega’s throat. _So the little one is his mate after all,_ Viktor thought as Yuri huffed and stomped away, flinging himself from the bow of the _Stammi_ to the _Pride_ with the agility of a spider monkey.

“Apologies, old friend. He's a bit on edge. I’d hate to disturb your mate.” Altin said simply, holding a hand out to accept the small pot of balm, erasing the earthy scent of moss and the vestiges of the omega’s ginger scent.

…

The rough draft that Yuuri and Viktor had worked out prior to the meeting underwent remarkably few revisions as the day wore on. Altin ensured that he would provide his crew with fair share of earned gold and pay, a tradition he already upheld, and agreed to almost every stipulation the crew of the _Stammi Vicino_ had. Both crews thrived on a certain honor among thieves; sure, they were criminals, but that didn’t mean they had to act like the common land-crawling rabble.

Viktor transcribed the treaty in his clean, looping handwriting, solidifying the agreement to share waters and merge territories, as well as form the beginning of a fleet of ships.

“Commodore, would you do the honors of naming our alliance?” Altin offered, a small smile curling his lip as Viktor tapped the end of his pen against his lip. Yuuri felt the storm of thoughts crashing around in his head, as well as the bone-deep satisfaction of being called by a new title. Yuuri groaned when his husband finally settled on a name and groaned again when he saw it written in his husband’s handwriting.

“Y-You can't be serious!" Yuuri spluttered, flushing bright red at the sight of it.

"Of course I am, love. You are also the Captain of the _Stammi_ , why shouldn't you be included in the name of our fleet?" Viktor smiled and pressed a kiss to his cheek, the flush of his skin hot to the touch.

"B-because you're the Commodore and I'm a Captain! I'm not Commodore-"

"Do you want to be? I could make it happen." Viktor replied nonchalantly, as if he were discussing the weather, not changing Yuuri’s title again. 

"You're deliberately missing my point, Vitya! No one is going to want to sail under our colours if you insist of thrusting our relationship in their faces." Yuuri whined, endlessly frustrated by his mate’s penchant for grand gestures like this.

"Oh, I don't know," Chris chimed in. "It sounds almost like 'Victory’. If anyone asks, that's what we say our name is." the First Mate could hardly finish his sentence without chuckling, a low, rumbling thing that infected Altin too.

"Besides," Altin added. "Commodore Nikiforov is now the most powerful pirate on the seas. Who are we to argue with him?" He turned his eyes to Yuuri, whose cheeks had turned a truly remarkable shade of red.

"You two are not helping!" Yuuri nearly screeched, rolling his eyes and collapsing backward into his chair.

By the end of the day, as the waning beans of sunlight filtered in through the windows, a document was finalized and four signatures lay drying at the bottom, each in a unique script and in the writer’s native tongue, as suggested by Yuuri. 

_This treaty to create The Viktuuri Armada is hereby ratified in agreement with all gathered parties.  
This treaty is signed and dated and in the presence of a witness._

_Captain Otabek Altin  
Captain Nikiforov Yuuri  
Commodore Viktor Nikiforov_

_Dated 1st February XX42_

_Witnessed by First Mate Christophe Giacometti_

…

“Now then, I’d love to join in on the celebration, but cigars and whiskey aren’t best for this load of cargo, so I’ll leave you to it and send for dinner.” Yuuri said when hands had been shaken and the ink had dried, slowly standing from his seat beside Viktor, stretching the tired curve of his spine and pushing out the swell of his stomach. 

“And I’ll miss you every moment we’re apart.” Viktor replied dreamily, catching Yuuri’s hand in his and pressing a kiss to his ring finger. 

“You said that out loud, sweetheart.” Yuuri laughed as Chris stifled his own laugh poorly.

“I meant to, Yuuri. How could I not sing the praises of my beautiful mate?” Viktor put on an air of mock offense, pressing the tips of his fingers to his chest with flair. 

“Holding your tongue while you’re in the middle of negotiating a very important alliance would be a good place to start.” Yuuri pulled his hand away from his mate’s lips as he peppered kisses up and down the length of his arm. He had to put his arousal on the shelf for now, the mere thought of another alpha seeing him in that state repulsive to the omega. “Now. Get along with it, and Cookie and I will be up with supper in a half-hour.” Yuuri chirped and made for the door, feeling the weight of Viktor’s mooning eyes tracing his form as he walked. He rolled his eyes when the door finally swung shut behind him, breathing deep in the fresh air, evacuating the smell of that salve from his nose as he made his way toward the galley.

“One last bit of business, if you don't mind terribly, Captain.” Viktor leaned back in his chair with a contented sigh, stretching his back and savoring the popping sensation in his spine.

“Not at all, Commodore.” Otabek replied simply, mirroring the relaxed posture Viktor had taken, the alpha inside Viktor positively crooning at the new title.

“Christophe, this concerns you directly.” Viktor said with a small smile, turning to face his First Mate. “I have a bit of a favor to ask.”

“I'm fairly certain you already owe me a thousand and a half favors for domesticating you enough for Yuuri…” Christophe drawled, chuckling at his own joke before continuing, “but I'll do anything for you. And you know that.” 

“And hopefully this is no different, Chris.” Viktor's voice sounded something solemn, a tone that he hadn't taken in years. “Christophe, when Yuuri brings our child into the world, we will be disembarking for a while. A few years at the most.” Viktor said, and the blonde alpha sat forward in his seat. 

“Disembarking? A few _years_? Viktor, what-” 

“Consider for a moment. Is this really the best place for a child to grow? Drifting on the high seas, the target of bandits and brigands, not to mention the possibility of all manner of terrible accidents. Just having a small dog aboard has complicated things.” Viktor shuddered at the memory of Vicchan nearly falling overboard a few weeks before. “Even with the relative safety of our new alliance with Captain Altin… we can’t raise a child in between raids. The safety of my mate and our family will have to come first for a while. But. I could never dream of leaving this family, my first family, high and dry.” Viktor stood from the table and crossed the cabin to where his weapons hung, glinting in the late afternoon sun.

“Viktor, where are you going with this?” Chris asked, following the older alpha with his eyes.

“Chris, I can't very well command my ship from the shore. I need someone to take care of her and her crew in Yuuri's and my absence.” Viktor replied sombrely, lifting a familiar iron blade from its mounting on the wall. His first sword. “And that someone is you, should you accept the offer.” He turned to meet his best friend's olive green eyes, wide and wet with tears.

“I could never replace you as Captain…” the blonde said quietly, his throat tightening and choked by tears.

“And you aren't. It's just until it's safe for us to return. I only have a few stipulations.” Viktor held up three fingers as he walked back to the table, the old weapon in hand.

“Anything.” Chris replied earnestly, scrambling to stand as Viktor stood before him.

“You will share equally with the crew, as has always been tradition. Being Captain does not exclude you from the rabble, it simply means you lead them. You will always honor the codes and traditions of this ship and her crew. And you will bring her to port once a year during Christmastide, in the city where Yuuri and I and the baby will be living. I could never imagine surviving without seeing my best friend and Yuuri his clickmate.” Viktor held the sword by the crossguard, offering the grip to Chris, his alpha swelling with pride at the image of his dearest friend taking care of their home for them. It felt odd, passing his ship to another, even if it was only temporary, but he knew the ship would be safe in Chris' capable hands.

“I swear it on my life, Commodore.” Chris said, grasping the leather grip with a shaky right hand.

“I know. I wouldn't dare leave her in any other hands than yours.” Viktor replied, a smile curling his lips and catching in his throat. “Thank you.” he murmured as he wrapped his left arm around Chris's shoulders and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. “So much.” The pair had almost completely forgotten about their guest, who was perfectly content to stay out of the emotional display.

“And one final thing. Not necessarily connected to the ship.” Viktor said when they parted, motioning for Chris to sit again. 

“You know I’d follow your lead to the ends of the Earth, Viktor.” Chris said, wiping away the tears from his eyes.

“That’s my question, Chris. Should I… should Yuuri and I…” Viktor trailed off, clearing his throat at the thoughts swirling ugly in his stomach. “Should _something_ happen. Would you and Phichit raise our child? I know it’s a lot to ask-” the alpha was cut off by Chris pulling him into an embrace tighter than a vice.

“This is the greatest honor you could ever give me. Greater than First Mate, greater than Captain, all of it. Yes, _mon ami_. A million times yes.” Viktor smiled into the embrace. Tears welled up fresh as he pulled out of the hug, meeting his best friend’s eyes again.

“Chris, our child will be so incredibly lucky to have you and Phichit to raise him or her, should that day come. Thank you, so much.” Both alphas felt the warmth of their mates calling to them over their bonds, the four of them wrapped in each other’s gratitude and the overwhelming sensation of something like wholeness, completeness. It felt like hours that they stayed there in silence, grinning at each other, years of comradery and kinship now eclipsed by what Viktor offered. A family bond for life. It was only when they heard an awkward cough from the other side of the table that they finally broke apart, still grinning.

“Do you two need a moment?” Altin smirked. Viktor chuckled and shook his head fondly.

“He might not, but I do!” Chris declared with a dramatic swish of his arm, clutching his chest. The three alphas burst into raucous laughter, a sound so rarely heard in the belly of the _Stammi Vicino_ in those dark days before Yuuri arrived. It did Viktor’s heart good to hear it again, with two of his oldest comrades.

"So, Otabek, all the business out of the way, indulge me in some gossip?" Viktor said as they stepped onto the balcony, passing the younger Captain a lit cigar. "I've noticed the mark on your throat, have you truly found someone?"

“I have, Viktor.” Otabek replied as smoke lazily blew from his nose. “And you? Mated, married and now a pup on the way? All those years ago I thought you’d never settle down.” The other alpha chuckled a laugh and Chris’ voice joined too.

“Ah, the follies of youth.” Viktor sighed, taking a drag from the cigar, the cherry-flavored tobacco hardly compared to the sweetness of his mate’s scent. “Amazing what time changes.”

“I’ll drink to that, _mon ami._ ” Chris chimed, lifting his glass to the sky and the others mirrored, sipping the whiskey with hissing breaths.

"And when do I get to officially meet your mate, Captain?" Viktor asked, the alcohol still burning pleasantly in his throat. “ _The Hero’s Pride_ , referring to your feisty First Mate, no?” the silver-haired alpha waggled his eyebrows, the ghost of a laugh crossing the younger alpha’s face.

"I figured I would save you the verbal abuse for after we signed the treaty, Commodore." Otabek returned, taking a long drag.

“I hope it doesn’t get worse than the taste we got earlier today.” Viktor laughed, the steely eyes of his fellow Captain unwavering at the joke. “I’m sure it’s nothing I haven’t dealt with. Considering some of the filth that passes as Common Tongue these days.” 

“If you insist.” Otabek fell still for a moment, no doubt calling to his mate over the bond. He winced as if someone was screaming into his ear, and for a brief moment, Viktor was worried he had made the wrong choice. “Yuri will be joining us for supper, Commodore.” Otabek said after a moment. “He’s Northern too, he’d be happy to speak in his mother tongue with someone other than me, I’m sure.” Otabek deadpanned, and Viktor wasn’t sure if it was meant to be a joke or not. He played it safe and didn’t laugh, for politeness’ sake. 

“Ah, well. I look forward to truly meeting him. And I’m sure my Yuuri will feel the same way, once you can convince him to wear the blocker.” Viktor replied with a chuckle, lifting the cigar to his lips again and hoping to the gods he wasn’t wrong.

…

Captain Altin had been quiet and stony-faced throughout the business affair, but all of that melted away when accompanied by his omega. Then, he was soft smiles and gentle touch. His mate was just a year younger than Yuuri, and had all the aggressive bite of an alpha. This made for a tense meal in the Captains’ quarters, which, despite the scent blocking salve Otabek had somehow convinced Yuri to wear, was heavily and thoroughly scented of Viktor and Yuuri, a smell that Yuri absolutely reviled, and had vocally objected to the moment he walked through the door.

Yuuri could barely stifle his distaste for another omega in his den, regardless of the assurance his mate was giving him through their bond. He hated it, but bullied through for the sake of the treaty. This was valuable. He couldn't compromise this grand future for a petty thing like that.

“So, Yuri,” he tried to at least sound amicable as they supped, using the Common Tongue despite being nearly fluent enough to hold conversations with Viktor in their native language, “Captain Altin tells us you met in your homeland.”

The blonde Yuri shrugged, poking the food on his plate with his fork. “What of it?”

Yuuri gritted his teeth for a second, biting down on an instinctive need to chide the younger man for his curtness. _It’s just the hormones. Relax._ “I’ve only heard of Viktor’s part of the North, I’d love to hear about yours.”

“It’s always fucking cold and it’s always fucking snowing. What’s to know?”

“Yuriiii…” Altin soothed, to Yuuri’s shock, with almost the identical soft tone as Viktor, right down to the elongated drawl of the last syllable of his name. No, the other Yuri’s name. His hormones were picking up signals that weren’t even there. He closed his eyes and drew a slow breath through his nose.

The blonde omega glared at his mate down the table, but for once said nothing. He just rolled his emerald-green eyes and shovelled food into his mouth. Yuuri was alarmed by the omega’s apparent lack of table manners. His maternal instincts itched with how skinny the young lad was, _too skinny, needs feeding, needs fattening up,_ and supposed his eating habits were linked to his growth spurt. But he just couldn’t shake this feeling that there was more to it, like the omega was stuffing his face now because he wasn’t planning on eating for a while. It reminded him of… himself, all those years ago… 

“Yuura?” Viktor’s rich timbre snapped him from his thoughts. “Are you alright?”

“Hmm?”

“You spaced out for a long time. I even tried calling over the bond but you still didn’t respond. Are you feeling alright, love? Is it the baby?”

Yuuri smiled softly, reaching for his husband’s hand. “I’m sorry, Vitya. Guess I’m a little tired, is all.” Viktor leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his cheekbone, and Yuuri savored the tender touch.

The other Yuri snorted derisively. “Tired, from what? From sitting in _his_ lap all day and - gods forbid! - having to lift a pen to sign your name! Gee, it must be so exhausting to be you!”

Yuuri snapped his head forward and glared at him. “I beg your pardon?”

“Yuuuriiiiii…” Viktor and Altin crooned in unison, only to blink wide-eyed at each other. Chris attempted to mask a laugh as a cough. It was not successful.

“This could get confusing.” Chris chuckled. “Methinks a nickname might help if we’re all going to be better acquainted.” Bringing his glass to his lips with an overly-dramatic hum, the alpha smirked over to Viktor with a sly wink. Viktor rolled his eyes and turned his attentions back to his husband. If Chris was about to start an argument, he wanted no part in it.

“I know!” Chris cheered, slamming his glass on the table so hard the crystal squeaked in his hand. “Why don’t we call you ‘Yurio’?” he grinned, pointing his index finger at the blonde omega. 

“Huh?” Yuri’s jaw hit the table, his eyes flaring with what Yuuri could only describe as disgust.

“Yes!” Chris continued, ignoring the daggers that were clearly being glared at him. “I think it suits you. It’s cute!”

“I am not fucking cute!” Yurio hissed, elbowing his mate in the ribs. “Beka, tell him!”

“Beka?” Viktor raised a brow and smirked at Altin, who had begun to blush. “Now, _that_ is cute!”

Yuuri began to twitch nervously, gripping Viktor’s hand. Even with everyone wearing the scent blocking salve, he could sense the hostility growing in the room. He silently scolded himself for allowing Viktor to open a second bottle with supper, scowling as Chris drained his glass again. And his omega did not like the idea of Yurio- _Yuri! I can’t call him by that ridiculous name!_ \- picking a fight with the alpha, knowing it would surely lead to Altin joining in the fray. They had only just signed the treaty and Yuuri was not going to let the future of his family go to the dogs because of one stupid remark. The ink was barely dried.

“Ignore him, Yuri.” he tried to appease the younger omega, “Chris has always reckoned himself to be quite the court jester. How Phichit -”

“I don’t need you to fucking stick up for me!” Yurio hissed, eyes narrowing and cheeks flushing with rage.

“I’m just trying-”

“I fucking know what you’re trying to do!” the blonde screeched, making Yuuri physically flinch, a hand curling over his swollen belly instinctively. “You think you’re so much better than me, just because you’re fucking pregnant and a fucking Captain and fucking a Captain too! You think I should look up to you, the great Yuuri Nikiforov, a fucking shining example to omegas everywhere! Well guess what? I couldn’t give a flying fuck about you or your mate or your ship! I didn’t even want to come here, but Beka told me to. Why would I want to waste my time with you shitheads?”

Something inside Yuuri snapped. Maybe the hormones had finally got the better of him. Maybe he shouldn’t have allowed himself a sip of Viktor’s wine. Hells, maybe he was just sick and tired of this omega being in his space. He slammed his fists onto the table and stood up, curling his lips back into a loud, spitting hiss. The other omega instantly shut up and paled at the dominant display. Even Viktor sat upright, stunned by the speed in which his mate stood up considering his condition.

"Alright, you listen to me, you little whingebag! Your mate might put up with this nonsense on a daily basis, but I won't! I have tried my damnedest to be polite with you and all you've done is spit it back in my face. Need I remind you that I am the Captain of the _Stammi Vicino_ and I am well within my rights to have you sent back to your ship with nothing more than a nod of my brow? And you're right, little kitty, I _am_ pregnant and my hormones are not at their best, so how about you just stop trying to pick a fight with me?! Because I swear on the life of my unborn child, you have severely underestimated me if you think you stand a hope in hell of beating me!"

"Yuura, sweetness, take a breath, think about the baby. Please. This can't be good for-" Viktor stood to his feet, grasping hold of his mate's hand.

"No, Vitya! I'm sorry but I won't stand for my Commodore and my mate to be insulted to my face any more! If… if _Yurio_ doesn't want to stay on board, he can leave. I will not have this screeching kitten anywhere near my nest!" The younger omega hissed and recoiled at the insulting nickname, standing out of his own chair, throwing it to the ground in the process. 

“WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR PROBLEM?” The blonde spat, his lips tight and curled back at the sudden outburst.

"What the fuck is _my_ problem? Seriously?!"

 _ **“YUURI. STOP.”**_ Viktor growled harshly across the bond, the overwhelming pull of an alpha command nearly making Yuuri whimper. _“Go rest in Chris and Phichit's cabin. Breathe. Cool down.”_ the omega winced at the control Viktor wielded. He grit his teeth and didn't say a word, simply rounded the table and exited, his mind a tempest of words left unsaid as the door slammed shut behind him. The table fell silent for a few moments, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife, Viktor and Otabek holding heated eye contact as Chris leaned away from the table slightly, sipping his drink slowly.

“Viktor, I didn't think your Yuuri would be so easily upset. Are you sure he's in the right state to be making decisions with you?” Otabek broke the silence, the silver-haired alpha freezing in the motion of lifting his glass to his lips.

“I’m sure he would have been fine without your Yuri egging him on the way he did.” Viktor shot back without thinking as he settled back into his seat.

“Egging him on?” Altin replied coldly, his eyes narrowing at Viktor from across the table.

“What would you call that, Captain? Friendly banter? He was practically begging Yuuri to snap the way he did. And I don't blame him to be completely honest.” Viktor finished his sip, keeping his words in with the burn of the whiskey momentarily silencing him. 

“To be completely honest, Commodore,” Altin mimicked Viktor's tone back at him, “I did warn you about Yuri's tongue. And I don't blame him for being upset, with your mate treating him like a child.” Viktor clenched his fist under the table.

“My mate is _pregnant_ , Captain, his instinct is practically begging him to care for those around him. He was only trying to make him feel more comfortable here.” Viktor snapped, sick to his stomach at the implication that Yuuri's tender doting was anything other than beautiful.

“Yes, yes, we all know your mate is pregnant, Nikiforov. That doesn't give him a free pass to condescend to _my_ mate like that.”

“It sounded like blatant disrespect to me, Altin. Or were you not listening to a word your kitten was hissing at my husband?” Viktor growled, his jaw tight, teeth grinding against his alpha instinct to leap over the table and _fight fight fight fight_.

The younger alpha snorted a laugh. “If your husband cannot handle a few comments from another omega, perhaps I should not be considering an alliance with him.”

Viktor narrowed his eyes. “What are you insinuating? That my Yuuri is weak? Because let me assure you, old friend, he has endured more of hell than you or I could imagine in our darkest nightmares. He is the strongest man I’ve ever met, omega or otherwise, and you’d do well to remember that. You were happy enough to sign the treaty before.”

“That was before. When I was confident that Yuuri was of sound mind. But I have just watched you alpha command your mate. What kind of Captain is he if he needs to be told to behave?”

Viktor felt a low growl rumble in the back of his throat. “Perhaps if you used a command on your omega once in a while, he might have learned some manners by now!”

Altin jumped to his feet, his chair toppling behind him. “Now you have directly insulted my mate, Nikiforov!” he snarled, a hand laying upon his pistol at his hip. 

Viktor smirked up at him coolly, spinning his glass in his hand. He made no move to stand. “And now you know how it feels to watch the one you love be insulted. That makes us even, no?”

“No.” Altin growled, grey eyes flashing in the dim light. “To be frank, _Captain_ Nikiforov, it does not.”

"To be frank, Captain Altin, I’m beginning to think we may need to consider other options-"

_"I'm sorry."_

The two alphas froze, the tiny mutter causing a primal instinct to keep a little omega safe in both of them. Viktor turned his eyes slowly to the omega, keeping his movements slow and deliberate in front of the opposing alpha. Altin instinctively moved to place a protective hand on his mate's shoulder, only for it to be shrugged away.

"I'm sorry, alright?" Yuri huffed, his green eyes fixed on his clasped hands. "I… I meant no offense, Commodore. I just - I just… really want to get back!"

"Yura? Is it that bad?" Altin asked softly, frowning. Yuri blinked up at his mate from under a blonde curtain. Viktor's breath caught in his throat at the sudden flash in those eyes. Even with them all wearing the scent blocker, he knew that look. He had fallen victim to it many a time with his Yuura.

"Alpha, p-please can we go now?" Yuri whined, the breathy noise of an omega in pre-heat. 

"Viktor, I-"

"Let's reconvene when it passes. I'll convey your apologies to the Captain." Viktor replied, tight-lipped. "Take care of your mate, Altin. And I'll take care of mine." Tension still hung heavy in the air as Otabek gathered his mate into his arms, apologizing to his old friend. Viktor sighed tiredly as they exited, turning to Chris, explaining that he needed to set things right with Yuuri.

“This is your first night in command, Captain. Steer her true." Viktor said simply.

"Aye aye, Commodore.” Chris replied, turning on his heel and exiting the cabin. When the door finally sealed Viktor in alone, he reached for his mate through their bond.

 _"Yuuri?"_ Viktor called across the soft darkness of their connection, _"They're gone… please come back?"_

 _“Open all the hatches. Wipe the salve off. Change your clothes and get the stench out.”_ Viktor happily complied.

When he returned to the cabin, Yuuri all but flung himself into Viktor's arms. He could finally breathe a sigh of relief, the air cleared of the overly sterile scent of the salve they had all worn, as well as taking as deep a breath as he could of Viktor's calming musk with the weight of the pup suppressing his lungs.

Viktor felt every anxious thought melt away as he held his Yuuri to his chest, inhaling his sweet scent like it was the only air he needed to live. It felt like he had gone too long without that scent. “I’m sorry I had to do that, love, but the way you were shouting… I- I couldn't bear to think what might have happened if-” 

“And what did you want me to do, Vitya? Just sit there and let him disrespect us like that?” Yuuri whined at the alpha.

“Darling, he was going into heat and let it go to his head. He apologized after you left. Does Yurio bother you that much?” 

Yuuri could only blink at the ridiculous understatement.

“Of course he bothers me! He's rude and crass, and he’s disrespectful to you and to me.” Yuuri fought back the truth, avoiding the largest reason for his distaste for the younger omega. 

“Yuura, you need to work on your excuses. I know it makes you uncomfortable to have him here. He's encroaching on your space, and he’s encroaching on your alpha. Look at me. I swear it on my life, I will never _ever_ leave you for another.” Viktor pulled the omega into his arms, tucking the raven fringe behind his left ear. His fingertips grazed the sensitive skin of Yuuri's scent gland, tracing the twin crescent moon-shaped scars around it. “This, right here, means until death. You know I mean that, Yuura. And so does every sailor on this boat. Anyone who tries to take me from you, or you from me, will have hell to pay. I love you.”

“I love you too, Vitya.” Yuuri smiled as Viktor cradled his cheek, kissing the skin between his eyebrows. 

“Would you like to open the gift they brought for the baby?” Viktor asked gently, eyeing the small package he had left on the table. Yuuri smiled softly and nodded, taking a seat on their bed, feeling the aches and pains of the day creep into his joints and muscles. Viktor returned with the package, Yuuri gently tugging on the twine wrapped around the box as the alpha set it in his hands. A gasp fell from his mouth of its own volition as he pulled the lid from the simple box. 

A rattle. With a cat’s ears and whiskers painted on. 

“It’s beautiful, Yuuri. We’ll have to thank them for it.” Viktor crooned, plucking the wooden toy from Yuuri’s hand, shaking it gently. His azure eyes glittered in the low light of the cabin as he laid down on his stomach on the bed, laying across Yuuri’s lap with the toy in hand.

“Vitya, what on Earth are you doing?” Yuuri laughed lightly, running a hand through his husband’s silver hair. 

“Is baby awake?” He murmured gently, pressing his lips to Yuuri’s stomach. The omega pressed a hand to his stomach and shut his eyes, searching through the bond he had with the life inside him. 

“Mmm, don’t think so.” Yuuri could feel the disappointment filtering across the connection he shared with Viktor, the omega in him cooing to soothe his Alpha. “When baby’s awake I’ll let you know, love. Then you can show them the toy.” Yuuri smiled and laughed into a kiss as Viktor sat up. 

“You’re sure baby’s asleep, sweet?” Viktor asked again, the melancholy replaced by something deeper, something… velvety and warm.

“I’m sure, darling.” Yuuri caught on, a warm flush crawling across his cheeks and heat pooling in his stomach. He snaked his hands under the fabric of Viktor’s shirt, purring gleefully at the growl echoing from the alpha’s throat as his fingertips brushed over pebbled nipples. “So… _Commodore_ , hm? Sounds important, Vitya… sounds _sexy_.” Viktor groaned at the teasing lilt of his mate's voice, the swirling scent of him growing thicker as his arousal became clear. 

“And you are, by far, the sexiest Captain I have ever laid my eyes on, Captain Nikiforov... If you weren’t already carrying _my_ pup… I’d be giving you one tonight.” His voice dropped into the lustful honeyed tone Yuuri remembered from their meeting at the tavern that first night. It lit a fire in his belly, just like it did then. 

“Why don’t you _fuck_ me like you’re trying to, _Commodore._ ” Yuuri moaned seductively, hot breath ghosting Viktor’s scent gland, now pulsing and pouring out his cedary musk.

“Oh, I certainly intend to. That bond bite looks a little too healed for my taste, darling.” The rattle fell from Viktor’s hand as he took Yuuri’s face in his hands and caught his lips in a heated kiss. A low, hungry moan spilled into Yuuri’s mouth. 

“V-iiiitya~” Yuuri keened as Viktor pulled away, delicately lifting the blue spectacles from his nose before pressing him into the bed, his mouth hovering over the gland at his throat, the alpha's breath wet and heavy against his sensitive skin.

“Yes, _Captain?”_ Viktor crooned against his skin, brushing his fingertips under the thin material of his shirt and over the taut flesh of his stomach. Yuuri groaned at the title, something he hadn't expected to be so excited by.

“Need your scent, Vitya, w-want to smell like you again, _hhaaahh-”_ he panted as Viktor pushed out a wave of his musky pheromones, bathing both of them in spiced cedar.

Viktor lifted Yuuri's legs up onto the bed, carefully unlacing his trousers with deft fingers and pulling them down over the plush curve of his rear. The alpha growled low in his chest as the sweet scent of his mate's slick reached his nose, his mouth watering at the thick headiness of it.

“ _Yuuuuuri…_ look at you…” Viktor crooned, helping the omega wiggle out of his shirt. This view was Viktor's favorite, Yuuri's naked body spread out against the sheets for him; that blush painting his cheeks and throat, rolling down to his chest. “So beautiful…” the alpha whispered against Yuuri's stomach, in a voice nearly reverent, his breath barely ghosting across his flesh. “Carrying our child…” he rasped as he curled around Yuuri's side. Viktor's voice grew thick and accented as Yuuri met his wave of scent with one of his own, the honeyed cherry tinged with arousal. “Carrying _my_ pup…” 

Viktor didn't bite back the urge to rub his cheek against Yuuri's throat, soaking in that scent, wanting to keep it there under his skin all the time. This was his omega, his husband, his mate, the mother of his child, the very essence of _Yuuri_ made physical. Yuuri mewled at the scrape of Viktor's stubble against his flesh, the roughness almost painful, but tinged with a delicious, delirious pleasure that sent him dizzy.

“Gods, Vitya, m-missed you so mu-much…” Yuuri gasped as his husband's fingers trailed down the dark line bisecting his stomach and found the sensitive head of his cock.

“We were together all day, love,” Viktor hummed deep in his chest, kisses trailing from Yuuri's throat down between his collarbones and leaving glistening patches of wetness at every stop, those long fingers wrapping around his twitching length as he went. “You were right here with me, looking this beautiful all day…”

“You know wh-what I mean, Vitya, your scent, couldn't smell you, couldn't smell Alpha…” Yuuri panted as Viktor flicked his tongue at a darkened, peaked nipple. Pregnancy had changed his body, specifically honing sensation around his chest, and the moment Viktor latched his lips around the swollen bud… Yuuri screamed. A hand flew up to tangle in that silver hair, a symphony of moaned words crashed over the alpha as he licked and pulled and sucked at Yuuri's chest. His tongue swirled over the hardened flesh, pushing Yuuri further and further to the edge, pleasure pooling between his legs as Viktor stroked him.

 _“Yuuuuuuuri, you taste so good…”_ Viktor moaned across the bond, his fingers quickly picking up speed as Yuuri's hitched breaths came faster and faster. _“Does this feel good? Alpha sucking you dry like this?”_ Viktor growled low in his throat at the thought of what Yuuri might taste like as his chest began to swell and leak.

“Yes, A-haalpha, so good, c-close, so good Vitya, _hhahhhoohhhhgods-_ ” Yuuri chanted as his spine arched, heat coiling in his core, his mate moaning around his nipple and stroking his leaking length.

 _“Go on, love. Let go for me.”_ Viktor growled, flicking his wrist over his darling's cock, drinking in his gasping cries greedily as his own member twitched lonely and neglected in his trousers. The pleasure that had coiled tightly around Yuuri's spine seemed to snap him in two as he came, stars exploding behind his eyes, a burst of slick wetting his inner thighs. 

His chest heaved as he rode out his orgasm, Viktor pulling off with a wet ‘pop’, his lips red and shining. Yuuri blinked wetly, panting and sweating, turning to the side to see Viktor shamelessly licking the pearly spend from his fingers.

“Vitya, is it really _that_ good? Yours is so salty I can barely manage the taste.” Yuuri groaned with a tired laugh, and a wolfish grin split Viktor's cheeks.

“It’s delicious, love... sweet, just like you.” Viktor crooned, draping his hand over Yuuri’s upper thigh, and catching his lips in a soft but heated kiss. “Now, Captain, I believe you said something about… _fucking_ another pup into you… is that offer still on the table?” the omega mewled as Viktor’s voice dropped into the dark timbre he so rarely used outside the bedroom.

“Yes, yes. Definitely.” Yuuri replied breathlessly with a quick nod of his head. Viktor gently maneuvered his pregnant mate onto his hands and knees, the heat of his skin pulling his alpha out from under his control. It rumbled hungrily as the rich scent of Yuuri's wetness sank into his nose, growing drunk on the warm smell of honey between his legs. A frustrated growl echoed in his chest as he stood and shoved his trousers down; he was too far away from _omega_ , from _mate_ , from _minemineminemine._

Yuuri yelped when Viktor surged forward, pulling his cheeks apart to reveal that sweet pucker of muscle, twitching and inviting. “A-haalpha, please, fill me, I-” a keening squeak fell from his lips as Viktor's tongue met his skin, rough and hot against the sensitive flesh of his entrance. His eyes rolled back at the overpowering scent of Viktor's arousal, sharp and dominating in his nose.

Yuuri could _feel_ Viktor's pleasure, the way it echoed across their bond was utterly intoxicating; the white-hot need coursing through his veins perfectly mirrored the desperate ache below Yuuri's skin and multiplying with each other until it was blissfully overwhelming. Viktor panted wetly against Yuuri's hole, growling in his throat as he pulled more and more of his slick into his mouth with that expert tongue. 

“V-Vitya, please, please inside, n-need Alpha~” Yuuri cried, grinding his hips back into Viktor's mouth as much as he could given the swell of his stomach and the ache in his spine. 

“Mmmnn, but you taste so good, sweet…”

“Pleeeaase, need Alpha's cock, need it now, _ple-heaaaasee-”_ Yuuri didn't hold back the pitiful, shaking sob, the begging was far beneath his rank as a Captain, but the sound of it shot right to the alpha's core. Instinct roared to the surface, to please omega, to claim omega, to be inside omega. The younger man nearly fell apart as Viktor prepared him, crying and gasping for breath as his husband plunged his fingers into his tight heat. Each ragged cry of the alpha’s name was met by a matching growled permutation of Yuuri’s as Viktor’s alpha grew impatient, nearly howling at the neglected hardness between his legs. 

“Yuuuuuuuri, darling, may I? I think you’re ready-”

“Yes. Now. Please?” Yuuri interrupted with a shaky whine, rolling back onto Viktor’s fingers temptingly. “Mark me again, Vitya. Alpha, please~” the omega whimpered as his mate withdrew, using the slippery slick dripping from his fingers to slide over his own flesh.

“As you wish,” Viktor growled as he lined up, pressing the head of his thick, swollen length against that sweet ring of muscle. Yuuri cried out as the alpha slid home, Viktor growling possessively, _“Captain.”_ It wasn’t long before Viktor’s alpha had fully taken control and Yuuri’s omega was chanting mindlessly in his mother tongue as he was taken apart by his husband. 

Viktor groaned thickly as he lost himself in the bliss of Yuuri’s body, the tight, clenching heat wrapped around his cock. He curled over his mate, carefully not putting too much weight on the smaller man's form as he nosed at Yuuri's throat, easily finding the pair of half-moon scars bracketing his scent gland like parentheses.

Viktor's alpha crooned at the sight of it every time, of Yuuri claimed and marked as his, the silvery shadows of his teeth a perfect contrast against his mate's vanilla-coloured flesh. Viktor's thrusts came deeper, his thick cock brushing over that spot that made Yuuri scream, his legs spasming with the overwhelming sensation of being filled, of being full of Alpha. Fire licked up and down the length of his spine and every nerve burned with it, heat coiling in that perfect and familiar way inside him, his body pulsing around the girthy intrusion as it dragged against his walls perfectly.

Viktor huffed hungrily with the sweet taste and scent of his Yuuri, the cherry so dense and heady there that he nearly went dizzy with it. Yuuri moaned his husband’s name in a feverish mantra at the closeness of his lips and teeth, pleading for that bite, for the mark of their bond to be remade. A fresh mark in his skin to match the growing swell of his stomach, something to mark him as Viktor’s, even more intimately than the pup inside him. 

The roughness of Alpha’s tongue met the soft flesh of Yuuri’s throat and his moans shifted to a begging, keening _‘yes, yes, yes, yes, yes’_ that Viktor couldn’t have refused if he tried. Yuuri bared his throat with a wet cry and Viktor’s alpha nearly snarled at the submissive gesture, of Yuuri, of his mate, so sweetly submitting. He flicked his tongue over the swollen gland, the bed swallowing the omega’s cries as Viktor reached around Yuuri’s belly and wrapped his hand around his oversensitive length again.

“Gods, Yuura, so good like this, so perfect and strong and _shitshitshit_ , s-so completely beautiful, and all for me…” Viktor panted, his hips stuttering as that tension behind his navel began to unravel. He aligned his teeth with the fading marks he had left before, pulling the sweat-slick skin between his teeth.

“M-mark me, Vitya, pl-please!” Yuuri cried, his lust-addled mind struggling to focus on both the sharp pain of the teeth at his throat and the blissful press of Viktor’s knot swelling against his rim. Viktor’s jaws snapped shut, piercing the flesh anew. That rush of soothing honey rolled into Yuuri’s mind and warmed the ache in his bones, a shuddering moan escaping his lips as his mate’s knot slipped inside. Both men fell over the edge with a cry of each other’s names, Viktor painting the inside of Yuuri’s body white and Yuuri’s spend soaking into the sheets below them.

Viktor gently eased them onto their sides, his body wrapped around Yuuri's protectively as they were locked together. Their bodies slotted together like perfectly molded halves, their scents rolling over each other and twisting into the other, the combined smell of cedar and cherry and honey better than any cigar, any wine. Nothing was finer than this scent, of their mutual pleasure. The combined musk of Yuuri's slick, Viktor's seed and the sweat on their brows nearly pulled his alpha to the surface again.

The slow, soft rocking of the ship mirrored their slowing breaths, the thick haze of pheromones swirling around them seemed to settle into everything, washing over the sterile, blank scent of the blocker they had worn earlier. A low purr filled Yuuri's throat as Viktor nuzzled into him, lapping up the spilled blood from his new mark. The alpha matched it with a rolling croon that echoed his satisfaction and pride into Yuuri's mind without a shadow of a doubt. But something still nagged at him.

“Vitya?” Yuuri whispered gently, his voice rough with sex. The alpha raised his attention from the wound on his throat to the sound of his mate's voice, nearly edging on distress; a sour thing he hadn't smelled in months.

“Yes, love?” Viktor returned quietly, tucking a damp few strands of thick, ebony hair behind his ear. “Something wrong?”

Yuuri hesitated, the words catching in his throat like bile. “D-did you mean that? What you said?”

“Which ‘what’ do you mean, Yuura?” the alpha teased gently, kissing at the soft crook of his throat, anything to make that discomfort ease, to push away the chill that had rolled over their bond.

Yuuri remained quiet for a moment, his hands falling to the swollen bulge of his stomach, running his fingers over the darkened purple marks now marring his flesh, scars that he knew he’d be wearing the rest of his life. 

_Ugly,_ that voice hissed in his mind as the cold sank into his fingertips, his heart throbbing in his chest.

 _“Yuura?”_ Viktor whispered over their bond as the scent of his mate’s worry grew stronger instead of dissipating. _“What’s on your mind?”_

“I…” Yuuri began, a stuttering breath catching in his throat. “I’m not beautiful like this…” the omega choked, the world blurring and swirling before him as tears welled up in his eyes. A sharp exhale rushed over his throat as Viktor pulled away, leaning up on his elbow, still firmly lodged inside him.

“Now that is an outright lie, love… where did you get such a false idea?” Viktor replied with a push of his scent, the woodsy musk of it settling over the two of them like a woolen blanket. When nothing but small hiccups and sniffing came from his mate, Viktor curled himself around the younger man again, wrapping his arms around Yuuri’s middle, interlacing their fingers where they lay on his bump. “You are the single most beautiful person in this entire world.”

Yuuri scoffed at the idea, countless more attractive faces scrolling across his mind in endless succession. Even the snarling Kitten that Captain Altin had brought with him was more visually striking with his bright green eyes and long blonde hair.

“Yuuuuuuuuuuri.” Viktor rumbled, seeing the swirling thoughts tossing him around like a leaf in the wind. “Is it because of these? Are these why you think you aren’t beautiful?” Viktor let his fingertips trail over the swell of his stomach, guiding Yuuri’s hands with his, tracing those purple marks.

Yuuri nodded slowly, his confirmation no more than a small, whispering breath. 

“These marks… these are proof, Yuuri. Proof of our love, of the life inside you…” Viktor trailed off as his throat became tight, choking on the praise he wished he could lavish on his husband in tidal waves. “I love them.” He said simply, a small, questioning noise meeting the declaration. 

“H-how could you love them? They’re so ugly, Vitya…” Yuuri's voice sounded too small, too quiet. It shot right to the alpha in Viktor to tend, to care, to protect. The older man curled tighter around his husband, his arms still gently cradling their child inside him.

“I love them… because they’re proof that I could give you a family, Yuura.” Viktor replied softly, his breath gentle against Yuuri’s ear as he absently stroked his thumb over those marks. “I love them because they show me just how amazing your body is. That your body can change so drastically to grow life inside you… _life, Yuura._ ” the alpha crooned with something that sounded like reverence. “And someday, when these scars are soft and pale we can remember what it was like now, not having met our pup yet. Not holding them in our arms yet, of not knowing what color their eyes are… or what color their hair is… or how their voice sounds.” Yuuri sighed and melted into the soft touch and warm words of his husband, imagining a world where he wasn’t in constant pain, needing to visit the privy all the time, or even able to see his own two feet again.

“You really think I’m beautiful like this, Vitya?” he asked quietly, a tentative voice growing surer.

“Mmhmmmmm.” the alpha returned with a smile, a pleased growl rumbling in his chest as the oppressive scent of anxiety bled from the air, replaced by the usual honeyed cherry aroma of his Yuuri, his mate. “The second most beautiful creature in this big wide world of ours.” He nuzzled in at the column of Yuuri’s neck, littering the new bond mark with featherlight kisses and kitten licks. 

“Second most?” Yuuri asked with a small whine, reaching up to card his hands through his mate’s hair and stretch his spine a bit, stiff from the position. 

“Only after our bundle of moonlight, sweet.” Viktor replied gently, breathing deeply against Yuuri’s gland, now releasing lazy rolls of his vanilla-tinted scent. _Happy omega,_ Viktor’s alpha crooned. As Yuuri shifted, a strange pressure moved against him, something that felt… different. 

“Mmmm, baby’s awake, sweetheart.” Yuuri cooed, Viktor barely registering the sound of his mate’s voice over the sensation of _something_ repeatedly pressing against him. A flood of realization crashed over the alpha as he scrambled to pull out, Yuuri yelping at the sudden loss. “Vitya, what was that?” Yuuri groaned as he rolled onto his back, meeting his husband’s wide-eyed, shocked face with squinting eyes.

“I- I don’t know, I think I felt baby moving?” Viktor stammered, his mouth hanging open in shock.

“Oh, you felt that?” Yuuri laughed, that soft, sweet sound that Viktor absolutely loved. “Kind of strange, isn’t it?” Viktor’s bright blue eyes stared intently at Yuuri’s stomach, a look of pure horror spread across his face.

"The-the baby, can... can they feel it when I-?"

"Vitya, that's not how it works. I think you need to re-read that baby book I found at port last week. Silly alpha." Yuuri laughed softly, pulling his husband down into a kiss. “My silly Alpha.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! So, after a bit of consideration, this fic is no longer going to be a 5+1. As I began working on a very special chapter I realized I will need to reorganize a bit. This fic will now be 7 chapters, my update schedule will not be changing. Thanks for sticking with me!
> 
> Hope y'all enjoyed over 10k words, I think this is the longest single chapter I've ever written. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and bringing in my favorite angry kitten into the AU! _as well as writing some shaaaaaaaaaaameless porn. I'm not sorry._
> 
> Say hi in the comments, drop a kudos if you're enjoying the series so far! Thanks for reading, and see you next Friday!  
> Love you all!
> 
> ❤️ IA ❤️  
> [Tumblr](https://incandescentantelope.tumblr.com) | [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/IAtheAuthor)


	5. Smoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set post-epilogue, early March (Yuuri is about eight months along)  
> Contains: strong language, violence, sexual harassment, and an OC death.  
> Written with help from [Lauriana25](https://archiveofourown.com/users/Lauriana25)

Viktor had tracked him to a small seaside village in the far east, and after years of searching, had finally laid the plans to exact his revenge. Revenge he’d been plotting since the day he heard Yuuri’s story. His story of the cycles of abuse, the pain in Yuuri’s eyes and voice… it all tasted like bile in his throat.

On a rainy night, Viktor had set off down the ladder with Chris to find him, his intelligence had assured him the man was a frequent visitor of a tavern in this worn down port town. He carefully drew a barrier between himself and Yuuri in their shared bond, he didn’t want Yuuri to see or feel any of this. 

“Viktor, can you pull back the alpha please? You’re scaring the locals.” Chris whispered as they disembarked and walked down the docks.

“Would _you_ be able to in my position? The reason for my mate's nightmares is in my fucking grasp. I’ll be as angry as I want, thank you.” He growled as their feet hit solid ground.

The monster might have spared himself the broken fingers had they not found him accosting an omega behind the tavern. The boy’s eyes were wild with fear, his scent screaming against the unwanted attention. The man was leaned against the brick facade of the building, one arm effectively trapping the omega beneath him. Both men leapt into action at the behest of their instincts, to defend and protect an innocent omega.

Viktor wrenched the alpha away from the wall by his hair, and Chris escorted the poor thing back into the tavern with a soothing swath of bonded alpha pheromones, assuring the frazzled man that he was safe under the care of a non-threatening alpha.

“Whoa whoa, wha’ the _fuck_ wassat for?” He slurred stupidly, his eyes bleary and unfocused as he tried to challenge Viktor, pushing out a wave of that vile stench, confirming everything the silver-haired alpha needed to know. Yuuri had told him it smelled like smoke.

“That,” Viktor pointed in the direction Chris had taken the omega, “was because you were forcing yourself on an omega who clearly didn't want it, and _this_ ,” he landed a swift knee to the man’s groin, “is for everything else.” He choked and fell to his knees, wheezing as he retched on the ground. It was a cheap shot. But gods, did it feel so good. Viktor’s jaw was tight, nostrils flaring. He hadn’t allowed himself this level of blind violence since their retaliation for the raid during his and Yuuri’s first year. It felt as though he was using a muscle long dormant, or stretching after a long sleep. It felt so gods-damned _good_. 

He cracked his knuckles and stepped heavy on an outstretched hand, savoring the crunch of delicate bones. He regretted that the man was probably too drunk to feel it. But he'd feel it in the morning, Viktor swore to himself in the quiet of his mind. He pulled the man up by his shirt collar. Brown, near black eyes blinked dumbly at him, glassy and unfocused. What a pathetic excuse for an alpha.

He spared a moment to think of his beautiful Yuuri, sleeping soundly in their cabin under the watchful eyes of Captain Altin, with Phichit dozing on the davenport to keep him calm in Viktor's absence. The sweet image of his mate, his soft snores and deep breaths giving the alpha all he needed to push on with destroying this monster choking on his own tongue before him.

“Is assault the only way you can get off? Hmm? Is ruining an omega's life what pops your knot? _Fucking disgusting_.” Viktor hissed in his first language, watching as the man’s eyes tried their hardest to focus on his. 

“I’m just taking what’s rightfully mine as an alpha. Don’t see the issue-” He didn’t finish his sentence before Viktor had him by the throat, the tendons in his hand and wrist standing out from his skin angrily, almost grotesquely. He bared his teeth as a growl ripped from his chest, echoing off the brick walls around them.

“You don’t deserve the title of alpha. Don’t deserve the _fucking_ air in your lungs. Your life isn’t worth the clothes on your back, _whelp_.” Viktor spat, feeling the heat of his anger rolling off his skin. The worm weakly protested the grip, hands desperately pulling at his arm. He only relented the pressure when he felt Chris’s hand on his shoulder. 

“Viktor, not yet.” He said calmly, pulling him back a bit. The man growled and snarled expletive after expletive as the pirates hoisted him up and pulled him away from the tavern. Chris paid the barkeep a hefty sum to forget the man had ever been there.

“Get your _fucking_ hands off me. I'll inform the authorities-” the man slurred, struggling in vain against Viktor's and Chris's grasp. 

“Oh no, that won’t help you now.” Chris replied when Viktor’s growling prevented him from speaking rationally. He knew that if he spoke, he would reveal his hand, and spoil the plan. Spoil the devious cruelty he had planned for the man. He had dreamed of this day. Viktor didn’t find himself prey to bloodlust often, but _this_ case was different. _This_ man deserved to die a thousand deaths. The alpha’s blood boiled under his skin, roaring in his veins. 

They dragged him down back alleys, avoiding main thoroughfares. They were criminals, sure. But that didn’t mean the general public needed to see the two men do their dirty work. This way they didn’t need to fret when he ‘accidentally’ bumped his head on the wall or took a stiff kick to the stomach after a mouthy comment. It made Chris cringe a bit, but he followed Viktor’s lead. For Yuuri. He would surely do the same for Phichit.

They made it back to the docks, only a few people stopping to watch, but turning around immediately when they recognized his silver hair and earrings. They knew better than to linger. The Captain was an intimidating presence. Made even more so by the oppressive anger emanating from his body, paired with the thrashing body between him and the first mate. 

They loaded their cargo into the auxiliary rowboat and made swift passage across the bay to where the _Vicino_ and the _Pride_ lay waiting. The anchor was pulling up before they had even hauled the man over the side. They boarded and shoved off immediately, their only intention for the stop was to find him. It had been Viktor’s idea to lock him down below, in one of the adjacent cells to Yuuri’s old bunk, where the sweet scent of his beautiful husband still clung gently to the old boards. (And to the small bed he'd only slept a few nights in.) Viktor revelled in watching his drunk mind recognize the scent. Pupils dilated, the hair on his arms raised. He snapped, pulling at the bind holding his arms behind his back, screaming and snarling against the gag in his mouth. Viktor laughed darkly and shut the door behind him, locking the two of them in the small room together.

...

Yuuri was asleep when Viktor returned to the cabin near sunup. He had made sure to wash off the stink of the other alpha, knowing full well how sensitive his mate's nose was now. He removed his boots at the door (a new, adorable request from his husband) and made his way across the cabin. Vicchan sat up in his bed by the couch, yipping happily at Viktor's return, skittering across the floor and waking the vision in their bed and his clickmate reclined on the sofa. Phichit slipped out silently, leaving the pair to their soft words and gentle reunion, the smell of Viktor's possessive pheromones nearly too much for the younger omega.

Yuuri felt the bed dip with his weight, and blinked away the sleep from his eyes. Viktor smelled clean. He looked exhausted, his porcelain skin marred by dark circles under his eyes. He leaned down for a kiss, which Yuuri gladly gave. Viktor’s kisses trailed down his body, finding their target in the swell of Yuuri’s stomach. Viktor whispered a quiet hello into the skin there, dotting kisses and gentle words along every dark stretch mark. Yuuri smiled and enjoyed the sensation of the soft touch, adding his own hand to the surface of his belly. Their pride and joy was growing and moving with all the energy of their father.

“Welcome back, Papa.” Yuuri whispered quietly and the alpha didn’t withhold his smile. He loved when Yuuri called him that, and Yuuri knew it. 

“I’m home, darlings. I missed you both. And blocking you out of my mind… I damn near lost myself without you love.” He nosed at Yuuri’s scent gland, recently re-bitten. He drank in the sweet smell of Yuuri’s pregnancy, the deliciously warm permutation of his cherry, now mixed with honey and sugar and something that smelled suspiciously like citrus. 

“Vitya, you were hardly gone six hours and you had Otabek posted at the door all night. I doubt something would have happened in your absence.” Yuuri laughed and ran a hand through his husband’s still-damp hair. 

“I know, I know. I just hate to leave you when you’re in this state. I would die if I missed _anything_.” The alpha’s voice dropped, and Yuuri understood. His pregnancy had been smooth sailing so far, but as things progressed, the worry began to settle in. His body had been rejecting pregnancy for so long that miscarrying wasn’t out of the realm of possibility. So every morning that Yuuri woke feeling the life in him, he could breathe a little easier. He had been put on husband-mandated bed rest for the rest of his pregnancy and Yuuri happily complied, being waited on hand and foot soothed his worry. He had two months left to go; just enough time to make it back to Viktor’s homeland, to a doctor he knew would help Yuuri deliver their bundle of moonlight.

His bedrest came with a few exceptions. Today was one of those exceptions. 

“So you did find him?” Yuuri asked simply, wrapping his arms tighter around his stomach. Viktor nodded slowly. “Is he on board?” Another nod. “When?”

“Whenever you’re ready. You’re sure you want to see him?” Viktor asked, forcing all the vile hatred out of his voice and filling it with concern for his mate instead. 

“Yes. I’m sure.” Yuuri kept his breathing slow. He knew the panic wouldn’t be good for the baby. “Help me up, Vitya?” He extended his hands to the alpha, who carefully pulled him into a seated position on the bed. He wiggled his toes, grumbling about the swelling in his ankles. He no longer fit into his boots, and he was forced to spend his days barefoot. 

Viktor bit back the urge to give his mate a foot massage, to rub and push all the tension out of his sore joints. But they had a pressing matter to attend to. Yuuri pushed himself out of bed, arching his back in attempt to stretch the pain away. Viktor placed a warm hand on his lower back, assisting him as he dressed for the ordeal. Sliding into a pair of loose-fitting trousers and a specially tailored shirt, lacing tight around his chest to support his swelling breasts and billowing softly around his belly. Viktor admired the way his husband looked, making his admiration known with the hard press of his cock against Yuuri’s backside. Yuuri laughed tiredly, thanking his mate for the compliment and easing into the soft rocking chair they had recently added to the cabin. He would wait until Viktor came back for him. 

He knew it was going to be difficult. But he had been preparing for years; careful, diligent work to calm the voices, to command control of his mind. He and Viktor worked on it every night. He had run through his diatribe every morning in the mirror, holding his focus on the touch of his mate, his Vitya, as he held him from behind. He repeated it all, leaned back in the chair, focused on the quiet thrumming of their child’s heartbeat and breathed in Viktor's musk on the hankie he had scented for him. He was growing life inside his body. After all the years of infertility. Their child was a gift from the gods, and Yuuri intended to treasure them until his dying breath, just like his mother had done for him. 

He had nearly nodded off again when a soft knock at the cabin door roused both him and the puppy asleep at his feet.

“Come in.” Yuuri quietly called, allowing himself to drop into the warm tones of motherhood. Gentle but firm. Viktor slowly opened the door and crossed the floor. Yuuri took a last deep breath of Viktor's hankie before he smelled _him_ again. After all these years. He pushed aside his fear, the worry. This was his final revenge. Viktor helped him out of the rocking chair and walked him out of the cabin, into the open air for the first time in a while. He afforded himself a long glance to the East, the hint of sunrise pushing against the horizon. He felt the wind pull at the short, fair hair at his temples, the hair left unbraided, gently rolling the fabric of his shirt like rippling waves. 

He smelled it then, floating on the breeze. The oppressive smoky scent that had haunted his nightmares and panics for too long. He instinctively wrapped his arms around his belly, feeling for a heartbeat through his skin. Viktor could feel the pull of worry through their bond and laid a soft kiss at Yuuri's temple.

 _“You don't have to do this. We can go back in and you won't have to see him.”_ The alpha's voice floated into Yuuri's mind, silent to everyone on deck. _“I’ll take care of it and you’ll never see him again.”_

 _“I want to do this, Vitya. Just don't let go of my hand.”_ He returned, breathing Viktor's musk deeply. The sun began to rise, casting shades of pink and orange across the water. _“I love you.”_

 _“I love you too, darling.”_ Viktor nuzzled at his ear. They walked down the ladder together carefully and made their way across the deck to the bow of the ship, where Viktor and Chris had secured him to the fore-mast. The man was bound and gagged, bloodied and pitiful. He hardly resembled the monster from Yuuri's past. Otabek and Christophe flanked him, hands on their weapons. They came to a stop a few yards from the crumpled mass of a man. 

“Eyes up.” Otabek grunted and nudged him with his boot. The man grumbled and lifted his head with difficulty. Yuuri didn't need to wonder what Viktor had done to him the night before.

Yuuri's skin crawled when hazy black eyes locked into his. The realization sank in immediately, the muffled sound of his name caught in the gag. He felt Viktor tense, the anger boiling through their bond. His eyes traced the shape of his body, stopping at the swell of his stomach. His jaw clenched. Yuuri ran soft hands over the roll of his belly, resting on the crest of it, lacing his fingers together just below his chest.

“Keijirou.” He said simply.

His previous mate snarled against the gag, pulled weakly at the rope binding. Chris prodded his shoulder with the point of his sword and the movement stopped.

“All the harm you inflicted on me will be your end. But I have no intention on letting you go to your grave unforgiven.” He remembered his mother, the lesson she had taught him. The forgiveness he showed Viktor. Kei was a monster. But Yuuri's revenge was truly wicked; to forgive him. To allow him to spend the last few minutes of his life wrestling with the thought that his abuse, the cruelty, all of it had been wiped clean. And he was still going to die. “You have made no apology. You are a wretched, disgusting excuse for a man. You stole so much from me. But because I cannot bear the weight of it, I forgive you.”

He was crying. Not the wheezing, ugly crying that had taken him before. Just tears rolling down his cheeks. No tightness of throat, no seizing of limbs. This was release. Closure. The end of every nightmare, the day the fear would finally be put to rest. The omega felt a years-old tension in the pit of his stomach easing as the sun glittered over the horizon, finally cresting in a new, glorious day.

Viktor pulled him into the warmth of his body, pressing a kiss into his hair. “I, however, am not the angel of goodness that my husband is. I will be ending your life today. Would you like to say anything to him before he leaves us to the dirty work?” Viktor growled at him, nodding at Otabek to untie the gag. He coughed and wet his lips, looking up at Yuuri.

 _“I hope your pup dies like ours did, Yuuri.”_ he snarled in their language, the vile words unknown to the group. Yuuri didn't flinch. 

“What did you just say?” Viktor barked, and when he received no answer, just a twisted smirk, he called to Yuuri through their bond.

 _“Darling, what did he say to you?”_ Yuuri could feel the pulsing anger in his mate's chest, the rapid increase of his heartbeat. But Yuuri remained calm. For their child. 

“Roughly translated, he said 'I want to die, Yuuri.' at least, that's how I understood it.” Yuuri said simply and softly, watching as Kei's face twisted in disgust again.

“That's not what I said, you stupid bitch. Or have you forgotten the tongue of your family and your _husband_?” He snarled venomously.

 _“My **husband** is standing right here. You gave up that right to me when you abandoned me, Kei. and of course I haven't forgotten my mother’s tongue. But I think my translation was rather accurate, don't you?”_ Yuuri replied nonchalantly, gently spinning his wedding band around his finger.

“Wasn't even fucking close. You’re still just as stupid as you were then. I said ‘I hope your pup dies like ours did’.” The alpha bit, eyes widening as he realized what Yuuri had tricked him into saying.

All three of the men around him snapped, weapons drawn. Christophe kicked him to the ground, a foot pressing him to the boards; Otabek shoved the gag back into his mouth and Viktor pressed the barrel of his pistol to the crown of his head.

“How _fucking_ dare you, you piece of sh-”

“Vitya.” Yuuri said quietly, calling his mate out of the frenzy. “Do it.” 

“Are you sure you want to see?” Viktor replied, a concerned look coloring his features.

“I want to watch him die.” he replied as simply as if he were idly chatting about the weather, cradling the warmth of his stomach. Yuuri felt the twinge of discomfort cross his mate's mind.

_“Yuuri, think about it. Do you want to give him that victory? Of knowing that he said the right thing to hurt you again?”_

_“He wished harm on our child, Vitya… I want to see him dead.”_ Yuuri felt his hands begin to shake, his breathing hastened.

 _“Yuura. Is this really what you want?”_ Viktor asked, pressing a wave of cedar across their bond. The fog in Yuuri’s mind faded as the sun rose higher and the scent of his mate filled his nose. A hiccuping breath passed his lips, his brown eyes glistened with tears. He shook his head.

“Christophe, please accompany Captain Nikiforov back to the cabin.” Viktor commanded, the first mate immediately complying, unable to fight the directive of the alpha. Chris extended an arm for support, Yuuri leaning into it gently. His scent had begun to turn from the over-sweet rosy thing of the past and to something deeper, something warmer. Yuuri could smell the lemongrass of his clickmate on his clothes, the freshly-renewed bite mark of a bond in his skin. They walked arm in arm, up the ladder and Yuuri spared a glance back to the bow, where Viktor had leveled his pistol to the man's head.

He pulled the cabin door open and the gunshot rang as it swung shut behind him.

...

When Viktor finally returned to their cabin, the sun had begun its descent and he could feel the prickling anxiety from his mate even from outside in the corridor. The alpha swallowed a growl and centered himself.

The source of every nightmare was gone. Wiped off the face of the Earth. Thrown overboard like the piece of garbage he had been in life. Viktor had personally ensured that every trace of _that_ was scrubbed off the deck, his final act for his mate. No one helped him as he scrubbed the blood and viscera away. His alpha roared for him to do this alone. This was alpha’s job, to vanquish the monster from his omega’s life forever. His and his alone.

After dumping the pinked soapy water overboard and cleaning up, his only thoughts were of his Yuuri. He had felt and heard him cry across their bond, tears of anger, of retribution, of guilt, of fear. Every teardrop made him scrub the planks harder, he scrubbed until his shoulders ached and his knuckles were raw. And in that moment, Viktor wanted nothing more than to wipe those tears away from his beloved mate’s cheeks.

He knocked quietly on their cabin door, not wanting to startle the omegas, only opening the door when a _“come in, love”_ came across their bond in a tired voice.

Yuuri was seated in the rocking chair, clutching the small swaddling blanket to his chest, the one he and Viktor had scented for when the baby arrived, his right hand rubbing circles over his swollen stomach. Viktor’s heart broke at the pink blotches on his cheeks, at the redness in his eyes. Phichit was curled on the floor at his feet, his head resting in Yuuri’s lap, a hand protectively curled over Yuuri’s belly, the omega’s sense of empathy heightened by his clickmate’s distress. His grey eyes locked on Viktor as soon as he opened the door, a wave of protective omega pheromones clouding Yuuri’s scent from the alpha for a moment before he relaxed. 

Viktor was surprised, however, to see Yurio sitting cross-legged on their bed, green eyes glaring at him as he entered. What surprised him even more was the presence of their puppy curled up in his lap, sleeping soundly with a pink tongue lolled out of his mouth. 

“Beka told me to come.” the youngest omega stated flatly, as if reading the alpha’s mind. “Said he didn’t want me to see what was going on… up there.” he gestured with his thumb to the deck above them.

“Thank you for being here for Yuuri.” Viktor said warmly.

Yurio shrugged, set the dog down and hopped off the bed. “I didn’t come here for him. He didn’t fucking need me here babying him, this idiot was doing enough that for both of us.”

Phichit stuck his tongue out at the blonde omega. “And that’s why you’re not in our click yet, Kitten! You’re too mean.”

Yurio’s cheeks flushed a little. “Why the fuck would I want to be in a click with you two?”

Yuuri held his hand out, stopping his clickmate from quipping back (knowing full well how the Eastern omega could argue until the cows came home). _“Thank you, Yuri.”_ he said sweetly in Viktor’s mother tongue, the gesture making the blonde omega blush again and mutter something under his breath before stomping out of the cabin. Viktor fought the urge to croon at how beautiful his Yuuri sounded speaking his language, and how proud he was at how quickly he had been able to pick it up. Though he didn’t do much to hide his smile.

Phichit giggled as Yuri left, shaking his head. “That kid is just too easy to wind up.”

“And you, Phichit, are incorrigible.” Yuuri laughed with a shake of his own head. The tanned omega winked at him and bounced to his feet. Yuuri felt a twinge of envy at the fluid movement, his own ankles protesting as he tried to stand. 

“You stay put.” Phichit scolded gently, pressing Yuuri back into the rocking chair with a soft smile. “You’ve done enough moving around for one day. If you need anything, have this fine specimen fetch it for you.” he smiled at Viktor, his grin so stretched and filthy it made the alpha blush.

Yuuri rolled his eyes. “How Chris’ face isn’t permanently red, I’ll never know.”

“Oh you should see him when-”

 _“Phichit!”_ Yuuri shrieked with a laugh, shooing the omega away before Viktor’s face burst into flames. With a final hug and peck to Yuuri’s forehead, Phichit stepped quickly out of the cabin, shooting Viktor a _‘take care of him’_ glance as he closed the door behind him.

As the lingering traces of the other omegas filtered out of the room, the stale scent of Yuuri’s distress, his frustration and his sadness clung to the soft rug he had purchased at port, it clung to the small blanket between his fingers. It was faint, but it was still there. Viktor slowly crossed the room, having peeled off his boots and hung his jacket on his hook by the door next to Yuuri’s. Vicchan yipped happily at Viktor’s return, but the alpha didn’t hear the sweet noise over the roar of his alpha to _tend, tend, tend, tend._

Yuuri’s throat tightened as his husband slowly padded across the floor, his brilliant blue eyes searching for something, the link between their minds spinning with unsaid words and half-completed sentences. When Viktor finally reached him, he dropped to his knees and pulled one of Yuuri’s swollen feet into his lap. Confusion bloomed in the air between them as Yuuri stared down at his husband, wordlessly massaging his feet, his eyes trained on them with singular focus.

“Vitya? What are you doing?” Yuuri asked, his voice raw and tired.

“Your feet. Need taking care of.” Viktor replied simply as he rolled his thumbs up and down the aching arch of his foot. The storm of thoughts still wouldn’t quiet, swirling around in Viktor’s head and sending Yuuri dizzy. He didn’t need him to keep serving like this. What he needed was…

“Vitya…” Yuuri breathed, the tears he thought had stopped surging forward again.

“Yes, love?” 

“Just… hold me?” the omega asked in a small voice, his breath hiccupping as he made his request, Viktor’s watery ceruleans meeting his. He saw the moment it clicked in his mate’s mind, silver hair flashing in the waning light as he stood, gently extending his arms out to help Yuuri stand too. With a low groan, Yuuri eased out of the rocking chair and into his mate’s embrace, the closeness of his scent and his touch a comfort in and of itself.

Viktor wrapped his arms around Yuuri’s shoulders, pulling his mate as close as he dared with his stomach so round and full between them. Yuuri’s breaths began to come shorter and stilted as he cried, Viktor felt the warmth of fresh tears soaking into his shirt. 

“It’s alright, love. I’m here.” Viktor murmured into Yuuri’s hair, curling an arm up to cradle his Yuuri’s head against his chest. The soft cries morphed to wretched sobs that wracked his frame, Viktor slowly guiding them back to the bed, where Yuuri had already begun to nest. 

They laid in their bed together, Viktor gently humming encouragement against Yuuri’s ear, curling his arm protectively over his bump, rubbing his thumb over his round, rosy cheek, brushing away the tears as they came. 

“V-Viktor…” Yuuri whispered hoarsely, the sound of it tearing at Viktor’s heart. He sounded the way he had all those years ago, the small, scared tavern boy choking on his own thoughts, paralyzed by the swirling thoughts in his mind as the voices spoke their ugly lies in his ears. 

“Yes, Yuura?” Viktor returned, “What is it?”

“It’s my fault… it’s my fault a man is… d- _dead_. He’s dead and it’s my fault, I’m a monster, Viktor, I-” Yuuri’s tears choked him again. He buried his face in Viktor’s chest, his spine curling, his shoulders shaking again. Viktor felt a pang of regret pass through his mind, an emotion that both of them shared in that moment. But just for a moment. He didn’t regret making the man disappear. Not in the slightest.

“You aren’t a monster, Yuura. You aren’t a monster. It isn’t your fault.” Viktor whispered in repetition, making the promise over and over, until his words didn’t sound like Common Tongue any longer, uttering the phrase until Yuuri stopped quivering, until his breaths evened out.

“You were so brave today, Yuuri. I am so. Damned. Proud of you.” the alpha enunciated his words with soft kisses at Yuuri’s reddened nose and cheeks, and the furrowed center of his brows. “I envy you, love. Really. You are so strong. The way you stood before him, even though you were afraid.”

Yuuri shifted, rolling onto his other side, pulling Viktor’s body in behind him, cradling his body with the warmth of his own. “Really?” Yuuri asked, “You? Envy me?” a touch of incredulity colored his voice, Viktor hummed gently against the nape of his neck. 

“Seeing you stand there, facing your past like that. I- I wish I could do the same for my monsters.” Viktor murmured softly, rubbing gentle circles into the swell of Yuuri’s stomach. “And the way you stayed strong when he said those awful things about our child. Gods, Yuuri.” Viktor’s voice tightened at the memory of the man sneering at his husband in a language he didn’t know, helpless to stop him. “You are so strong and so lovely and so beyond anything I could ever deserve in a mate. I thank the gods every day I wake up at your side, love.” The words fell from his tongue without thinking, an ever-renewing stream of praise as the alpha nuzzled into the warmth of Yuuri’s skin. 

“Mmmmn-” Yuuri hummed softly, the aromas in the air lightening, sour distress slowly giving way to the light cherry scent that had burned itself into Viktor’s mind, still as fresh and lovely as the first time he had caught its sweet tendrils; wavering through the air of a sticky, dilapidated tavern on the docks.

“You are, by far, the loveliest, bravest, kindest creature I have been blessed with meeting. And I count it a gift from the gods that you’ve chosen to stay with me.”

When no response came from Yuuri’s lips and Viktor felt his breaths deepening and evening out, a low, rolling purr vibrating against his chest, that last swell of anger was pushed away, replaced by complete and utter adoration of his Yuuri.

_“I love you.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YAY I KILLED HIM FUCK YOU KEIJIROU DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES 
> 
> Y'all, I've been waiting for this moment since the beginning, this chapter has been mostly written since the early stages of Beacon. Not all of us have alphas willing to kill our abusers for us, but this was a bit of catharsis for my own past. And I hope that it was for you too, if you have monsters lurking in your past like me. 
> 
> Next week will be a very _very_ special chapter. I hope to see you all there. <3 
> 
> Say hi in the comments, drop a kudos if you're enjoying the series so far! Thanks for reading, and see you next Friday!  
> Love you all!
> 
> ❤️ IA ❤️  
> [Tumblr](https://incandescentantelope.tumblr.com) | [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/IAtheAuthor)


	6. Someone New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set post-epilogue, late March (Yuuri is nine months along)  
> Contains: strong language, a new clickmate and a surprise birthday.  
> Written with help from [Lauriana25](https://archiveofourown.com/users/Lauriana25)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd like a little refresher on the omega biology I use, [click here!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16088264) This chapter involves male childbirth so it may be of benefit to read and understand what exactly is going on in Yuuri's body. <3

When Yuuri’s ninth month was just behind them, the _Stammi Vicino_ had nearly found its port in the capitol city of the Northern Territories, a thin blanket of snow still clinging to the ground, even as Spring crept around the corner. Everything was planned out. They would be disembarking in a few days and settling into a small cottage just outside of town, where the pair would build their nest. Where their family of two would become three in just over a month. 

The last week had been bustling and busy, Viktor packing their things and Yuuri taking long naps in the sunshine, anything to escape the near-constant state of pain their child had wrought upon him. He might have hissed at his husband a few times out of frustration of an aching spine, legs that seemed to have turned to mush, and the truly terrible pain of his swelling chest, the new and excruciating sensation of skin stretching rapidly to accommodate.

Something deep and instinctive yanked at both alpha and omega as they planned to leave their den behind, their first home. Viktor had insisted on christening it ‘one last time’ nearly every night of the final few weeks, and Yuuri politely declined as any kind of activity strained his back or hurt his hips. The final stretch of his pregnancy had been riddled with pain, discomfort and frustration, Yuuri equally torn between hoping the baby would come when the time was right and crying ugly tears that their child was hurting him so. Viktor absolutely despised the swell of hormones that had taken over his mate’s body and mind, wishing for all the treasures in the world that he might take on a bit of that burden. 

When Yuuri woke with a start in the dead of night, a sharp pain clenching at his core, and a pool of wetness soaked into the temporary nest he had constructed in their bed, still aboard the _Vicino_ , panic sank in. Swirling memories of blood and an empty womb swam back to him like sharks to an open wound. _Harumi._

“Vitya, s-something’s wrong, the baby-” Yuuri gasped, choked by the pain and sudden realization of the situation. They weren’t ready. The baby was early. The doctor wasn’t there. They wouldn’t make it. Their baby was going to be born here. His omega shrieked in panic, sinking its fangs into Yuuri’s mind as he clutched at his stomach in fear. _No, no, no, this isn’t how it’s supposed to go!_

“What? No, we’re supposed to have another month, aren’t we? We- we’re still a day from port!” Viktor raked his fingers through his hair as his mind raced, swirling with Yuuri’s thoughts spilling over their bond. “Yuuri. Listen to me. Calm down. Breathe with me.”

“Don’t tell me to calm down, Vitya, our baby is coming _now_ and we aren’t ready, I’m not ready, I can’t have a baby, I can’t, Vitya! I’m not ready!” the omega shrieked, shutting his eyes against the sight of his swollen and distended belly, against the sight of Viktor’s expression of… _awe?_ His eyes fluttered open again as a warm palm cupped his cheek, tears pearling in his eyelashes.

“Yuuri. The baby is coming. You’re giving birth to _our_ child. You’ll be holding our pup in your arms soon, don’t you want that? Don’t you want to see our baby’s eyes? Hear them cry?” Viktor asked gently, nosing at the bond mark over his scent gland, a soft reminder of their love, of his devotion. The haze of panic that had fallen over Yuuri’s eyes cleared in a moment. 

“G-go get Phichit. Now.” Viktor scrambled out of bed and nearly ran out of the cabin naked as the day _he_ was born, but Yuuri called him back to remind him to _‘put on a pair of gods-damned pants’._

“Okay, okay, get Phichit. Yes. And Altin. Someone needs to watch the sails.”

“You can watch them from underwater if you don’t get moving now!” Yuuri barked, nearly shoving his mate out of the cabin to call for his clickmate, the one person he knew would be able to get him through this without a doctor’s help. 

“Yes, I’ve helped a few omegas give birth. It’s a helpful skill in a brothel.” Phichit had said, which made equal parts of Yuuri ache for his best friend and gleefully happy that he would be able to assist him, should the circumstance arise. 

And arise it did. 

Phichit burst into the cabin, still in the process of pulling a shirt over his head, his alpha falling in behind him (also half-dressed, a few new lovebites smattering his shoulders and throat), to escort Viktor out, allowing the room to fill with soothing pheromones instead of the soon-to-be-father’s panicked ones. 

“It’ll be better this way, _mon ami_ , trust me. Besides. We need to figure out if there’s any way we can get to port faster.” Chris told the Commodore rather tersely, as he pulled him toward the signal bell, calling for the Captain of the _Hero’s Pride_ with three sharp tolls. A flash of blonde hair burst out of the Captain’s cabin and ran over the deck, the two ships sailing near enough to be speaking distance. 

_“IT IS THE MIDDLE OF THE FUCKING NIGHT! WHAT THE FUCK IS SO IMPORTANT-?”_

_“IT’S THE BABY! TELL ALTIN!”_ Chris bellowed back, interrupting the sharp tongue of the omega, who ducked back into the cabin before sprinting back out at full speed, leaping from the helm of the _Pride_ to the main deck of the _Vicino_ , swinging on a loose bit of rigging. Viktor barely registered the young omega hissing as he ran past them, throwing the door to the Captains’ quarters open and shut, his voice audible through the heavy walls and door.

“Rouse the men. Prepare the rowing bays. We’re getting to port.” Viktor set his jaw and twisted his hair into a knot. They’d make it. They had to.

…

_“DID I MISS ANYTHING?!”_ Yuri howled as he burst into the cabin, hurrying to Yuuri’s outstretched left hand, Phichit’s fingers intertwined with the other. Something deep in his omega compelled him forward, to help his fellow omega in his time of need, in the moments he would need his click the most.

 _Wait_ , no, he wasn’t in their click- he didn’t want to be in their click, Yuri was a tiger, he couldn’t be so tamed as to be stuck in a wimpy pack of simpering omegas.

“Yuri, please don’t yell, I- _hoooooooohgods!_ ” Yuuri moaned as another clench of pain roared through him, gripping the two supporting hands tighter than any vice. The sounds of Yuuri’s agony echoed into the youngest of the three, his instinct begging to assist the pregnant omega writhing with a pain that sent a twinge to his own gut. The grip of his hand lessened as the contraction did, Yuuri’s breaths evening out. “Yuri, I- I was going to ask you today, b-before the baby, _hah_ , do you want to-”

“Yes.” Yuri and his omega replied in tandem, for the first time in his life. “I’ll join the click, just don’t make it weird, okay? I’m not gonna fucking whine and cry with you over every stupid thing-” Yuri began, cutting himself off at the sight of Yuuri and Phichit blinking back at him with wet eyes. “See, this is exactly what I was talking about!”

“I knew you’d cave eventually.” Phichit laughed, brushing away the salty tear before it fell. 

“Sh-shut up! I’ll walk right back out that door!” Yuri yelped, his biting demeanor fooling absolutely no one.

“Like hell you will!” Phichit squealed, “Now help!” he cried, focusing a strong wave of calming pheromones, encouraging the youngest omega to do the same. Bursts of lemongrass and ginger rolled over Yuuri’s souring cherry, a kick of citrus growing stronger by the moment.

"I am _never_ doing this." Yuri grimaced, and Phichit could have sworn the blonde turned a pale shade of green as Yuuri began to pant through the next contraction.

"You can have this conversation with your Beka another day, Yurio. Right now, I need you to go to the privy and get some more towels, just in case."

"Just in case of what?" Yuri squeaked, hissing with pain as Yuuri gripped his hand again.

"IN CASE I GIVE BIRTH BEFORE WE GET TO PORT, YOU DOLT!" Yuuri screamed at the top of his lungs, gasping against the pain twisting in his abdomen, a searing knife prying him open.

"Okay, okay, towels!" Yuri stood from the bed and dashed into the privy, pulling every soft shred of fabric he could find.

"Yuuri, you're doing amazing, listen to me. Viktor will be back soon. I promise." Phichit soothed, pushing wave after wave of calming scent over the panting omega. “He’s getting us to port. He’s doing his best for you, Yuuri.”

"I _dare_ him to show his smug face in my den again, I'll make him push a baby out of his ass!" Yuuri snapped, his teeth bared. Phichit giggled a bit, thinking how much Yuuri looked like an alpha then, snarling and growling like the best of them. 

"And I'll be there to make sure he suffers." the Eastern omega chuckled, nuzzling at his clickmate’s clenched jaw, just a soft touch to calm him.

Yuuri’s eyes lit up. "Really? You promise?" he asked, a bit too… _excited_ about making his mate suffer, Phichit decided. But it was distracting him from the pain at the very least.

"Of course! What are clickmates for if not to help each other torture our mates?" 

"I love you, Phich." Yuuri pulled the other omega into a hug, a purr rolling in his throat.

"I love you too, Yuuri." Phichit returned, smoothing Yuuri’s sweat-damp hair out of his eyes. “Want me to braid this for you?” Yuuri hummed his yes and pointed to his vanity, the silver hairbrush laying gently on the surface.

"Seriously? _This_ is what a click does to you? I’m gonna retract my yes and say no, thank you very much!" Yuri made a retching sound as Phichit settled on the bed, brushing the older omega’s hair into submission.

"You, little Kitten, need to stop whining. If you really didn't want to do this, you could have walked away, but no, you came running with no shoes on when Chris and the Commodore rang the bell.” Phichit replied without breaking his focus on Yuuri’s hair, quickly twisting it into a long braid over his shoulder. He could feel the oppressive wave of ginger, tinged with a hot anger that was most certainly _not_ helpful for the present situation. “Pull back the heat, Yurio, you’re making me sick and Yuuri needs to stay calm.”

“THAT ISN’T MY FUCKING NAME, I-" Yuri began, cut off my a pained whimper.

"P-please stop fighting, j-just need… _gods damnit!_ Where's Vityaaaaaaa?" Yuuri threw his head against the pillow, a warbling cry falling from his lips as his body clenched again, tears streaming down his cheeks at the absence of his alpha. He needed Alpha, he needed Alpha’s touch, Alpha’s scent. _“It hurts, it hurts, please, n-need Alpha!”_ he shrieked in his mother tongue.

"Yurio! Come here, I need to go find Viktor." Phichit snapped, his eyes wide. 

"M-m-me?! Why do I have to-"

"Shut up and listen! The baby is going to be here sooner than I thought, and I need to go find that idiot alpha before he misses the birth of his own child. Now sit your sorry ass down and hold his hand!" Phichit barked, taking advantage of his higher status in the click. The blonde whimpered at the posturing and a twinge of something deep in his omega pulled him forward, sitting cross-legged beside Yuuri on the bed, taking the older man’s hand again. Phichit nodded proudly and disappeared through the cabin door at a full sprint.

"Okay, o-okay. I'm here. I got you. Phichit went to get Chris and Viktor so… just… I don't know, breathe or something!" Yuri frantically coached, yelping at the crushing grip of Yuuri’s hand around his. 

"Breathe. Right. Good thinking, Kitten." The brown-eyed omega huffed a tiny laugh, more a musical exhale than anything as he panted through the contraction.

"Oh come on!” Yuri sighed, exasperated. “I don't have a fucking clue what I'm doing and I do _NOT_ want to be here when you start gushing all kinds of… _fluids_ , so just… try and keep it together, alright?" Yuri grimaced at the thought before pushing it away, a swell of something vile curling in the back of his throat.

"Okay." Yuuri said simply, his eyes burning and determined as he forced his breathing to even.

"Haaahh?" the younger omega replied, shocked that he had just… accepted that. Yuuri’s lip curled up into a small smile at Yuri’s dumbstruck expression.

"Okay. I'll keep it together. So long as you stop cursing. I do _not_ want my child to hear your foul mouth as soon as it's born." Yuuri laughed and the other omega smirked crookedly, cocking a blonde eyebrow in toying disbelief.

"You were the one swearing like a true pirate, asshole." he quipped, poking a gentle finger into Yuuri’s bump.

"I'm the one giving birth. I'm allowed. You're not." Yuri burst into a proper laugh then, an infectious thing that had Yuuri laughing too, pushing out some of the tension in his back, which, by that point, felt like it had snapped in half.

"Aye aye, Mama Piggy." Yuri joked, finding his hand had somehow ended up on Yuuri’s swollen belly and had been rubbing small, reassuring circles into the taut flesh. He didn’t pull the hand away. He felt the shifting of the baby under Yuuri’s skin, the press of something that felt like a foot against his hand. His eyes blew wide at the sensation, and Yuuri couldn’t help but smile at the glittering emeralds blinking with something like awe taking over his features.

“Did you feel that, Yuri?” Yuuri asked softly, draping his own hand over Yuri’s smaller one, moving it to where he could feel the press of the child’s elbow.

“Y-yeah, is the baby moving?” Yuri asked in a small voice, his eyes not moving from the curve of his stomach, purpled by stretch marks and the long, dark line running down the center of his body. Yuuri hummed a gentle ‘yes’ and a hushed “Wow…” fell from Yuri’s lips. The sweetness of the moment was shattered like glass as the next contraction began, a scream ripping from Yuuri’s throat without warning.

“Ho-ookay, Yuuri, think about the baby, think about the baby, uhm, what color do you think their eyes will be?" Yuri tried to distract him, still unable to shake the thought that there was a living creature inside Yuuri, and that creature was going to come out of him at some point.

"Blue. Blue like Viktor's. Blue like the ocean." Yuuri gasped between breaths, his jaw tight.

"What about their hair? What color is it?" Yuri asked, whimpering as Yuuri’s grip tightened again.

"Silver. Pretty and silver and _HOLY MOTHER OF THE GODS-_ " Yuuri shrieked again, the sound of it pulled something strange and new and instinctual to the surface in Yuri, a calm he had never felt before washed over him as a strong wave of soothing scent rolled into the room.

"You're doing really well. Just keep breathing. Viktor will be here soon." 

"He'd better fucking be!" Yuuri snapped, holding desperately to the image of their child at his chest, praying to the gods that this wasn’t another dream, that he wasn’t still sleeping in a loft over a tavern. A tear slipped out of the corner of his eye, he had come too far. He had been to hell and back and somehow been blessed with a second chance.

"Is the baby a boy or girl?" Yuri’s sharp voice cut through the swirl of ugly memories. Yuuri answered without a second thought.

"GIRL! She’s a girl!"

"What's your baby girl's name, Yuuri?! Say it! This is all for her!" Yuri shouted, masking the pain of his surely broken hand. He had severely underestimated Yuuri’s pregnancy strength.

“Umiko! Her name is Umiko! U-MI-KO.” Yuuri shouted each syllable between wheezing breaths, thinking of the characters he had chosen with Viktor the night before. The characters for ‘ocean’ and ‘child’; how apt that the baby they named for the ocean would be born floating on the waves. “Viktor will call her Umiya and she’ll be my Umi-chan!” Yuuri chanted the name, punctuated by ragged, wet pants as he rode out the contraction, the pain subsiding again. 

“Yuri, c-can you open a window?” Yuuri croaked, the younger of the two quickly pressing open one of the portholes, allowing a bit of breeze through the cabin, crisp and cleansing.

"D'ya really think it's a girl?" Yuri asked when he resettled at Yuuri’s right, helping him drink from the waterskin Viktor had left behind. 

"Wh-what?" Yuuri’s eyes were hazy and unfocused, his mouth pulled into a frown. He had ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about’ scrawled over his face in bright red ink. 

"You just said you think it's a girl. How do you know?"

"I did?” He chuckled quietly. “I… I don't know. I just have this feeling..." Yuuri whispered, leaning forward to cool the sweat that had beaded at his back and between his shoulders. Yuri sat quietly for a moment, considering Yuuri’s words and rubbing circles over Yuuri's lower back. 

"... pretty.” The word fell from his mouth without thinking, flushing furiously when Yuuri made a soft, questioning noise, those tired eyes meeting his. "She… she sounds pretty."

A low purr rumbled from Yuuri’s chest at the compliment, his arms falling to his stomach, cradling the child as she shifted again. _‘She? Was it really a she?’_ Yuuri asked himself, his inner omega seeming to be convinced. He smiled at the blonde. "You can tell her that yourself when she comes."

"I thought you were holding her in until we got to port." a smirk spread over Yuri’s face as the two laughed brightly.

“Do I have a choice?” Yuuri laughed, feeling another contraction coming. “H-have I broken your ha-ha-hand yet?” he panted, trying his best to keep a smile on his lips. “ _Ohhhshitshitshit_ , Yuri, don’t let Otabek do this to y-yooUUuuuuu!” Yuuri keened as the pain crawled down his spine and into his lower back.

Yuuri's screams echoed over the deck through the open porthole, tearing at Viktor’s heart with every shrieking cry. Some of Yuuri’s pain seeped into Viktor’s back as he begged Chris to let him go, to let him go to his husband. Phichit had come to fetch him from the rowing bay, explaining that the baby was coming sooner than he thought. 

“Please, Chris, I can’t do this, Yuuri needs me!” Viktor roared, grinding his teeth as Yuuri’s whining call of his name sank into his mind like a siren’s call. 

“Can you be calm now? He needs you to be steady, he needs something to cling to right now.” Phichit snapped and Chris pressed a hand to Viktor’s shoulder, his hazel eyes serious as death. Altin mirrored the sentiment, clapping him on the back. Viktor nodded solemnly, Yuuri’s hoarse voice filled his mind, calling for him, the screaming nearly driving him mad.

“Then let’s go. Cookie, lead the boys, would you?” Chris asked the mountain of a man on the front bench, who jumped up with fire in his eyes, counting the strokes for his fellow sailors as they rowed, assisting the sails to carry them closer.

“Anything fer my Cap’ns. Can’t wait’a meet the pup.” He bellowed, Viktor barely heard the rumbling laugh as he made for the ladders. He couldn’t ignore Yuuri’s desperate begging over the bond any longer, _omega, mate needs help, help mate, help omega now, pup coming, help mate,_ Viktor’s alpha roared as he ascended the ladders with bounding strides, Yuuri’s voice pulling him up from the rowing bay, where he knew his sailors were cursing his inability to get them to port faster. By their estimations they were still half a day away. 

_“I’m coming, love. I’m coming.”_ Viktor whispered across the bond as Yuuri’s screams grew closer. He entered the cabin again, shocked at the sight he encountered, nearly gasping at the sight of the Kitten curled protectively around Yuuri, dabbing at his forehead with a wet cloth. It took him a moment to find his tongue, any rational thought falling out of his ears as he caught the gentle scent of tangerine in the air. 

"I'm so sorry, Yuuri, I don’t think-" Viktor began, immediately cut off by a spitting hiss, Yuuri’s lips pulled back over his teeth in a threatening snarl. He stopped dead in his place, the other two alphas caught up, lead by Phichit.

" _You._ ” Yuuri hissed, “This is all your fault- a-haaalpHHAAAAA!" Yuuri screamed again as Phichit forced his way past Viktor and Chris, who stood utterly frozen at the door, Otabek gladly facing away from the chaos.

"What the hell took you so long?! Don't just stand there, idiot, do something! Calm your mate, useless knothead!" Yuri hissed, Chris pushing the alpha forward into the room with a whispered _‘go on, Papa’_. 

"V-Vitya, please, please make it stop, I can't, I can't do this." Yuuri sobbed, clutching at his husband's jacket. Viktor swallowed thickly; his words, his precious poetic affirmations escaped him at the sight of Yuuri’s beautiful face screwed up in pain.

"Oh for fuck's sake!" Yuri grabbed hold of Yuuri's shoulders, snapping his bleary attention away from the dumbstruck alpha. "You listen to me right now! You _CAN_ do this! D'ya know why? Because you're you! Captain Nikiforov! You're the first omega to become a fucking Captain of a vessel recognized by most sovereign nations! You're a godsdamned pirate! You've carried this pup in your fat gut for nine months and it's time to get her out!"

" _Her?!"_ Viktor spluttered, worried he had accidentally told Yuuri that he had been hoping the child was a girl.

"Do you hear me, Yuuri?" Yuri ignored the alpha’s outburst, gripping Yuuri's hand. "Huh?! Fucking answer me, piggy!"

Yuuri's screams dull down to short, huffed breaths as he nodded his head determinedly. "I… I hear you, Yuri."

"Good." Yuri smiled a little and stepped away from the bed. _"And you."_ Yuri shot a heated glare at Viktor, _"Grow some balls! You're about to become a father. Start acting like one and hold your mate's hand!"_ The blonde hissed in the Northern tongue, sparing Yuuri his harsh words as he caught his breath.

Something snapped in the alpha's mind and he took Yuuri's hand, whispering the soothing words he had been practicing over their bond and saying sweet words of encouragement out loud as he remembered them. Yuri stepped away, rubbing his injured hand but not taking his eyes off the whimpering omega until he heard a loud purr and a low growl roll from the pair.

"What?!" he snipped, pressing his hands to his hips with a scowl.

"Now _that_ is what being in a click does to you!" Phichit squealed, grabbing the blonde in a sudden hug. "That was amazing, how you got through to him. _You_ were amazing, Yurio.” Otabek beamed at him, a smile bright and glittering in the sunrise.

"Shut the hell up, I didn't do anything!" Yuri squirmed out of Phichit's grip, blushing bright red. "And what the hell are you looking at?" he snapped angrily at Otabek, lashing out despite the blush on his cheeks. The alpha wrapped his omega in a tight one-armed hug, nuzzling against his scent gland in a sudden act of intimacy that made the first mate squeak. 

"I'm proud of you, Yuri. And… a little turned on, I won’t lie."

"B-B-Beka!" Yuri slammed a hand over the alpha's mouth, checking that no one heard, his eyes wild and his cheeks blushed bright red. Thankfully everyone was too busy with Yuuri. “...not here, okay? W-we need to help Yuuri."

The tanned Captain smiled down at his mate, the unmistakable alpha pride swelling in his chest. "Sure. If that's what you want, love.” A quiet purr resonated in Yuri’s throat as Otabek laid a gentle kiss between his blonde eyebrows.

Viktor pressed his mate’s ring finger to his lips as he had all those years ago. _"You're doing so well, love. So well. You're so strong, such a good omega. I love you so much..."_ he murmured over their bond, endless streams of praise filling his mate’s mind as a pained yelp fell from Viktor's lips as Yuuri nearly crushed his hand through another contraction.

"Yuuri..." Phichit says over the dull roar of Viktor's praise. "I smell citrus. Who smells like citrus?" 

Yuuri's eyes blew wide as the dots connected. They weren't going to make it to port.

"Every alpha who isn’t my husband, get out, NOW." Yuuri barked, "Yuri, get water. Phich, make sure Yuri doesn't pass out. Vitya, help me up. And take my pants off." Viktor snapped into action, growling happily seeing his mate so commanding and in charge; he slid the light sleep pants from his mate's legs and eased him onto all fours, sitting in front of him, forehead to forehead.

“Ready to meet our baby, Yuura?” Viktor took Yuuri’s cheeks in his hands and pressed a kiss to his lips, dry and chapped from his panting. 

“Yes, more than words can express, Vitya.” Yuuri winced as a foot pressed against his bladder. "Damn it, alright, if you're not going to wait, let's get things moving, baby girl." Yuuri bit as another clench of pain wracked his abdomen. 

Phichit hurried Altin and Chris out, shooing them with clicking tuts. Yuri returned with the basin of water, setting it at Phichit’s feet, very specifically avoiding the business end of things. The youngest omega took his place at Yuuri’s right, rubbing his back and trying not to choke on the overwhelming scent of Viktor. The soft tones of Phichit’s voice calmed everyone in the room as Yuuri hissed through contraction after contraction with decreasing time to catch his breath between. His stomach twisted and his bones creaked as the sudden and overpowering urge to push washed over him.

“Yuuri, how do you feel? Ready to try pushing?” Phichit cooed gently, pressing a steadying hand in the small of Yuuri’s back. Everything in the omega screamed _‘yes, push now, yes, yes, push now, yes’_ , and he nodded. “Okay. Deep breath and push.” Yuuri buried his face into the crook of Viktor’s throat, breathing in that cedary musk and clenching every muscle in his body, a keening whine slipping out as he pushed. Viktor cradled his stomach, gently tracing nonsensical shapes of words into his taut flesh, writing poetry with his fingertips.

 _“So good. Yes, Yuuri. So proud of you.”_ Viktor murmured across their bond, echoed by Phichit’s gentle praise. _“I can’t wait to meet her, Yuuri.”_

“H-h-her?” Yuuri panted when Phichit instructed him to stop, to catch his breath. “Do you want a- a girl?” 

“You know I’ll love our pup no matter what, Yuuri. But wouldn’t it be nice to raise a baby girl? With your eyes and your cheeks, your heart and your spirit… she’d be beautiful.” Viktor crooned into Yuuri’s hair, a low, reassuring thing as Phichit murmured another instruction to Yuri, pulling him by the arm to the end of the bed.

“NOPE, NOPE! NO WAY! NOT FUCKING HAPPENING!” Yuri shrieked as he clamped his hands over his eyes. “I’ll stay right the fuck here, thankyouverymuch!” Yuri muttered some angry Northern gibberish that made Viktor gasp. 

“Yurio! Babies can hear!” the alpha snarled, “Honestly, how a young man can go on living with such little respect for proper-”

“Viktor. Please. Stop. Talking.” Yuuri grasped his husband’s chin and turned it toward his own face and away from Yuri’s. “Just keep your eyes on me.”

“O-okay, I will.” Viktor stammered as his eyes met Yuuri’s, the gold flecks in those mahogany eyes dancing like glowing embers, brilliant and intense.

“Let’s push again, Yuuri.” Phichit chirped over his shoulder, a phrase that, by the time that day threatened to dawn, Yuuri had grown indescribably tired of hearing. His body ached, his legs had turned to rubber and for the hours of screaming and pushing, the baby still hadn’t crowned.

Yuuri nearly collapsed as he relented, a sob crashing from his chest as soon as he took a breath. Phichit wiped his brow with one of the towels, a frustrated sigh falling from his lips. “If he doesn't hurry up..." he muttered under his breath, his agitation getting the better of him as he angrily flicked through the midwifery handbook Yuuri had bought at port a few months before.

“Wh-what was that, Peach?” Yuuri stuttered, his heart dropping to his stomach. “If I don’t hurry up, _what?_ ” Panic began to seep into his blood, distress quickly filling the humid air of the cabin.

“Oh, damnit, I- I didn’t mean to say that out loud, I-”

“ _Out loud?!_ So you were thinking it?! What’s going to happen, Phichit? Tell me!” Yuuri’s voice squeaked as his panic pitched upward feverishly, and Viktor’s alpha stood to full attention at the fear in his mate’s voice. Phichit wrung his hands, an uncharacteristic shred of anxiety joining Yuuri's distress.

“I… if you don't hurry, the baby… the baby might run out of air.” Phichit said quietly, avoiding eye contact with the mated pair. The words sank like lead into Yuuri's stomach as every soft thought fled again, fading to black like the sunset. 

"Vitya, I-I can't lose her too! Please, I- I can't do this, I can't!” Yuuri sobbed into Viktor's shoulder, his arms shaking and his breaths coming far too fast, like they had all those years ago. A smoothing calm rolled over Viktor as he pushed out a wave of cedar and sea salt, filling Yuuri's nose with the musky scent of him.

"Yuura, you are not going to lose her." He said without a shred of doubt in his voice. Yuuri hiccupped through another sob as he tried to argue, his mind full of Harumi and the roadside memorial under a cherry blossom tree. Of the child he had lost all those years ago.

"B-but-"

"But nothing, love." The Commodore eased another wave of warm scent into the air between them. “You have kept her safe all this time, and you will continue doing so for years to come. You can do this." Viktor pressed a soft kiss to the spot where Yuuri's eyebrows had knit themselves together, smoothing away the wrinkles that had gathered there. "I know you can."

After a cleansing lungful of his husband's scent, Yuuri quickly nodded and set his jaw, balling his fists into the sheets as he bore down. Phichit took his place back at the foot of the bed as Viktor continued to whisper encouraging thoughts over their bond.

Things seemed to move in slow motion around the younger omega, whose instinct had honed in on the distressed mother and the smallest whiff of tangerine growing thicker by the moment. Against his better judgment, Yuri slowly cast a glance down, his omega screeching at him to check on the pup. Yuri’s sharp yelp echoed across the cabin as a head of white hair suddenly appeared with a loud squelch. 

“Yuuri! I can see the head! Baby has white hair, Viktor, just like yours!” Phichit cheered with a bright smile, Viktor positively beaming that their child looked any measure like him. “Yuuri, I need you to push, okay? Bite down on something if you need to. Yuri, hand me a towel please.” 

Yuuri nodded weakly as he took a mouthful of Viktor’s shirt, clamping down on the material soaked in his alpha’s scent, tears rolling down his cheeks as the searing pain screamed through his lower body. 

“Okay Yuuri, I need you to push harder-”

“I'm pushing as hard as I caa _aAAAAAAAHHHHH!_ ” Yuuri screamed into Viktor’s shoulder, the stretch seeming to tear him apart piece by piece.

“If you have breath to scream, you're not pushing hard enough.” Phicht replied flatly, as if he was disinterested in Yuuri’s pain. 

“How would you know?! I don't remember you ever giving birth!” Yuuri hissed over his shoulder as the terrible clenching continued to burn, Viktor’s hand cupped his cheek again.

“Yuura, please, try and relax-”

“SHUT UP, ALPHA!” both Yuuri and Phichit snapped in unison, two pairs of dark eyes glaring at him as he held his hands up in surrender, pressing his lips tightly together. 

“How about you _all_ shut up?” the youngest clickmate glared at the three men in the room, all high-strung and drunk on pheromones. Yuri was the levity this room so desperately needed, the clear knock on the head to keep things moving along. “Because this kid needs to be born quick before all her air runs out, so come on Yuuri. _Push!_ ” Yuri took the older omega’s hand and showered him with a sharp blast of ginger as the child’s head fully breached.

Yuuri set his jaw again, taking a deep inhale of his pack’s scents, their encouragement made physical. “Shoulders now, Yuuri. Deep breaths.” Phichit instructed, gently tugging as Yuuri pushed, the oldest omega’s ragged screams nearly sending Viktor’s alpha into guarding mode, the feral creature snarling that there were other people in the cabin. 

_“T-too much, it hurts! A-haaaaaalphaaa!”_ Yuuri shrieked in his native tongue, Phichit cheering as the baby’s shoulders and chest slid free. 

_“Yuuri, keep going, she’s almost here, sweet.”_ Viktor crooned over their bond, holding Yuuri’s cheeks in his hands and swiping away the sweat from his brow. _“Just a little bit more and our baby will be here.”_ Yuuri nodded, a strong burst of his cherry scent washing over the room as he held his breath and pushed again, forcing his way through the pain. Phichit pulled the child’s arms free, excitedly exclaiming the number of fingers and squealing over the tiny fingernails.

“Okay, Yuuri, almost done. The hard part’s over.” Phichit soothed, still gently tugging. “Let’s get two more good pushes here, okay?” 

“So proud of you Yuuri. So, so proud of you.” Viktor murmured over and over, holding that blistering contact as his husband groaned and screamed his throat raw, Yuri and Phichit cheering him on as that pain tore through his core and ripped at the bullied, sensitive skin between his legs.

“It’s a girl, Yuuri! You have a daughter!” Phichit exclaimed, his jovial voice wracked with tears. “One more push, just her legs are left. You can do it.” Yuuri screamed again, summoning every shred of remaining strength he had, thinking of his daughter, his baby girl, his Umiko. She gave him that last burst of power, the last remaining ounce of force.

“C’mon, Mama Piggy, you’re almost there.” Yuri encouraged, “Your baby girl wants to meet you!”

Yuuri screamed and the terrible pressure finally relented, he nearly collapsed as he felt the last of the child pass through him, his chest heaving as Viktor caught his weight, easing him onto his back.

“There you are, sweetheart, hi! Welcome to the world!” Phichit purred softly, gently clearing away the mess from the child’s cheeks. “Now then, babygirl, let’s get you… cleaned up…” his voice trailed off as her tiny chest didn’t rise and fall, as no noise fell from her lips when she should have been screaming bloody murder. 

“Peach?” Yuuri croaked, exhausted, “Wh-what’s wrong? Why isn’t she crying?” 

“She… she's not breathing…” the Eastern omega whispered, his face pale as a sheet. Yuuri lunged forward, grimacing and gasping for breath as Yuri guided him back down against the pillows. The alpha moved without thinking, reaching his arms out to their emergency midwife. Phichit hurried to place the pup in her father’s arms.

“Umiko, love. It’s time to wake up.” Viktor crooned, nosing at the child’s ear, breathing deeply the mingled scents of Yuuri and the soft tangerine of his daughter. He knew they couldn’t have come this far for naught. He had felt her moving that morning. 

_“Vitya?”_ Yuuri murmured across their bond and the alpha swore he saw her chest shift.

“Yuuri, talk to her, over the bond. I think she heard you.” Viktor replied with a squeak, quickly crossing the room and setting the child in Yuuri’s arms. Yuuri’s eyes lit up, sparkling with unshed tears.

 _“Umiko, sweetheart, welcome to the world… Let’s see those eyes, darling.”_ Yuuri cooed as he pressed the child to his chest, Yuri helping him pull the soft material of his shirt over his shoulders without disturbing the baby. 

A small huff of air came first, a shaky thing that felt cool against the heated flesh of his collarbone. Then a bigger breath, another, and finally a sharp, piercing cry rang through the cabin and a shuddering sob of relief rolled over Yuuri. Tears of every conceivable emotion streamed down his cheeks as she cried and Viktor wrapped himself around Yuuri, casting a wide swath of his protective pheromones over the three of them. Her eyes opened, blinking wide and confused and Yuuri gasped at their color, a familiar mahogany brown.

“She’s beautiful, love… she has your eyes…” Viktor breathed, “Absolutely perfect.” Viktor’s alpha roared at him _protect, care, nurture_. Viktor pulled his shirt over his head, delicately placing it over his newborn daughter. "Can't have her getting cold." He muttered, blushing a little at the loud purring coming from his mate, the cabin suddenly filling with the omega's happy pheromones. Yuuri tucked the soft, white material around her writhing body, cooing softly as Viktor's chest puffed with pride. This was his. His Yuuri, his husband, his Umiko, his child. His family, his pack. 

“Does anyone have a knife? We need to cut the cord.” Phichit said quietly, Yuri quickly pressing a blade into his outstretched hand.

“Yuri, will you do it? Show him, Phichit.” Yuuri mumbled, his voice garbled by his purring and nearly drowned out by the rolling croon of his alpha beside him. 

"M-m-me? Why me! Shouldn't we just wait for the doctor or something?" Yuri spluttered, his omega yearning to help despite his refusal.

"Yuri, please? You… you helped me bring her this far, help me with this too?" Yuuri asked softly as Viktor cooed low rumbling Northern to the child. A flash of a moment passed over Yuri's eyes, of his Beka doing the same for their child. Their someday child. A wet sigh passed the youngest omega's lips as Phichit set his hand on his shoulder, and the omega in Yuri plucked the blade from his outstretched hand.

"Gods, you're such a sap, you know that?" Yuri sniffed away the unshed tears. "Fine. But only because the little one needs me to do it, not because you want me to." He huffed unconvincingly. 

Yuuri smiled tiredly, and out of breath, purred, “Thank you, clickmate."

“Like this, okay?” Phichit hummed in a whisper, showing Yuri how to tie off the cord and cut. The omega in Yuri quickly plucked the blade from Phichit's hand, instinctively knowing the moment was sacred. He was the one trusted to sever mother from child, to fully welcome the pup into the world. The blonde took hold of the cord and easily pulled the blade through, a shuddering sigh falling from Yuuri's lips as the full bond he had with his daughter quieted to a dull murmur.

The child's cries had lulled, sent to sleep by the soft, rumbling vibrations of Yuuri's purr and Viktor's croon, her ivory skin now completely clean of the mess. Phichit pulled Yuri out of the cabin by the scruff of his neck, leaving the new family to bond.

“She’s beautiful…” Yuuri was still crying, his eyes tracing the soft features of his daughter’s face as if she would disappear in the morning light. She was so small, so soft. His heart felt like it was full to bursting, a bundle of moonlight cradled in his arms. Every ache and pain was worth this moment, this fleeting moment, even if all of this was a beautiful dream, and he would wake up in the morning without her in his arms. 

“She’s absolutely perfect.” Viktor murmured, pressing a soft kiss to Yuuri’s temple. “I’m so proud of you.” 

“She’s perfect because she looks like you, Vitya.” Yuuri laughed gently, running his fingers through that fine silvery-white hair, stroking her peach-soft cheek, rosy and round. Her skin was a creamy vanilla, a shade darker than Viktor’s and just lighter than Yuuri’s, her fingers were long and slender as they wrapped around Viktor’s pointer finger.

“Don’t forget whose eyes she has, love.” Viktor reminded Yuuri softly, “She’s both of us, Yuura.” 

“Vitya, what day is it?” Yuuri asked, completely enraptured by the sight of her tiny mouth stretching wide in a yawn, the perfect shape of a heart. Viktor tapped a finger to his lips thoughtfully before smiling brightly.

“It’s the twenty-fifth of March.” he replied, breathing deeply as tears threatened to fall again. He tucked himself into the crook of Yuuri’s shoulder and sighed at the cherry scent that still clung to the honey of his pregnancy. “Our little moonbeam, our ocean child was born at dawn on the cusp of spring. The sun, the moon, and the stars were all in attendance to witness the birth of Umiko Viktorovna Nikiforov.” Orange and pink light began to filter into the cabin through the windows aftward of the ship, warming his cheeks and casting everything in a soft glow. “Welcome to the world, Umiya, my sweetest.” Viktor cooed as he pressed a kiss to the child’s hairline.

“Welcome to the world, Umi-chan. I promise your Papa and I will always take care of you, no matter what.” Yuuri’s voice broke as she shifted, stretching her arms over her head, resting one of those tiny hands on Yuuri’s chest.

“No matter what.” Viktor echoed as a thought passed through his mind. “Yuura?”

“Yes, Vitya?” 

“Can I read her a story?” Viktor asked, his voice small and his eyes glittering in the sunrise, despite the exhaustion clear in the dark circles under his eyes. Yuuri smiled that eye-crinkling smile as he nodded, Viktor hurrying to pluck that familiar pale blue leather-bound book from Umi’s already impressive personal library. Yuuri’s eyes lit up as he returned to bed, that book in hand.

“Do you know this one too, then?” Yuuri cooed as Viktor curled himself around his two loves again. 

“My Mama read it to me when I was a child.” Viktor smiled fondly, turning the soft cover over in his hands, remembering the sound of her voice and the way she had gently whispered the words to him, every character in the story with a different voice. Yuuri burst into tears again then, Viktor carefully nosing at Yuuri’s cheek with a questioning noise in his throat, worried he had done something to upset his husband in his delicate state. 

“My mother did the same for me, Vitya.” Yuuri finally choked out, a soft smile on his lips. “I’d love to hear the story in your tongue. For our daughter.” the omega sighed as Viktor settled against the headboard, Yuuri leaned on him, cradling their Umiko in his arms as the ship slowly rolled into port just after sunrise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the world, Umiko! 
> 
> I've been looking forward to releasing this chapter for........................................ forever. As much as I love my pregnant Victuuri... I need my boys to be happy with their baby now. Papa Viktor and Mama Yuuri give this poor little soul life. The family Yuuri has always wanted is finally coming together and I'm not crying, you're crying. 
> 
> Next week's update will be the end of this fic, and I'll be putting the Beacon AU on the shelf. I've got a few new WIPs coming down the pipes that I'm really excited about and want to focus on. Thanks to everyone who has been with me on this ride since the beginning, y'all are the reason I keep writing. Hearing from you gives me life and keeps the IA train moving. Drop a kudos or a comment if you've been enjoying this AU, if you're happy to meet the baby, if you just want to scream about YoI with me. 
> 
> See you all next week! Love you all!
> 
> ❤️ IA ❤️  
> [Tumblr](https://incandescentantelope.tumblr.com) | [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/IAtheAuthor)
> 
> _and yes i know captain vitya isn't real-world russian so why give the baby a patronym don't ask me i don't make the rules_


	7. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Set nearly a year post-epilogue.  
> Contains: reunions, a few new faces, and plans for the future.

The cold air bit at Yuuri’s nose and the tips of his ears. He had spent so much time in front of a hearth over the past months that he had almost forgotten it was already winter in the Northern Territories; winter tended to come early in that part of the world, Yuuri learned. He wrapped his arms tighter around the child quietly dozing against his chest, wrapped tightly in a papoose. It was their first outing as a family, just to a small shop for a little treat and a few things for the baby.

Yuuri loved their Umiko, their Ocean Child, more than he ever thought possible; her birth had opened an entirely new realm of love to both Yuuri and Viktor, and they would never be the same.

Yuuri could watch Viktor coo and croon over their daughter for a million years and never tire of it. Of the way his face contorted into silly expressions in attempt to pull her giggle out, ‘just one more time’. Of the way he sang to her in his first language, of the way Yuuri had found the two of them one afternoon, napping together in the rocking chair; Umiko with a thumb between her lips and Viktor’s mouth hanging open, spectacles slightly askew with tiny fingerprints dusting the lenses. But Yuuri’s favorite moments came at the end of the day, when they returned to their home just outside of town, curled up in front of the hearth, each with a book in their hands and their child sleeping peacefully between them and Vicchan dozing at their feet. 

After the combination of recommended bed rest and the instinctive pull to nest, Yuuri was finally confident for extended time away from home, and Viktor suggested a short outing to stretch his legs.

“Just into town for a few things. Some chocolate. Some new books. And maybe a toy for Umi. Another rattle maybe?” Viktor suggested that morning.

“I love that idea, darling. Let’s head out after dinner. The streets won’t be too crowded, and we can enjoy some time, just the four of us.” Yuuri offered.

“I think that will do perfectly.” Viktor kissed him, losing himself in the sounds his mate made under his touch. He was still too freshly healed to take to bed, and Viktor wouldn’t dream of hurting his beloved. So they kissed until they were breathless, wringing orgasms from each other with their mouths and hands, until Umiko woke and interrupted them. 

The rest of the day passed lazily, as most of their days did. Yuuri read and wrote, napped and fed the baby, Viktor reviewed his reports from Chris and Otabek. The _Vicino_ and the _Pride_ would be porting soon, and a briefing would be taking place aboard the _Vicino_ when they arrived, after all the reunions had passed. Word had reached Viktor’s ear that the Armada was seeing unprecedented growth already, having gained the attention of a few more bands seeking to join. A pair of twins who captained twin ships, a small band from the Northeast, their Captain a boy no older than eighteen. Another crew of misfits from across the sea in the new Western territories, lead by a man fancying himself a Lion among men. Viktor worried that he would need to set his ego right, but Chris assured him of the Lion-Cub's heart of gold.

Their plans set, the pair ate their dinner and bundled up, furs wrapped around Yuuri like armor. Viktor had insisted on the silly fur hats, but Yuuri couldn’t deny that he was definitely warmer for it. Their Umiya was bundled up too, wearing, among other things, an adorably tiny pair of mittens and fur-lined moccasins. The three of them set out into the crisp air of early January, leaving Vicchan behind when the pup refused to set foot in the snow.

They stepped into the first shop they saw, a cozy little place with a nice selection of sweets and trinkets. The sign read _Sato General Goods_. The name sounded familiar somehow, but Yuuri couldn't quite remember where he had heard it. They removed their hats and mittens, unwrapping the scarves from around their necks. A gentle _‘Welcome!’_ rang from the back of the store as they entered. Yuuri browsed the various hand-crafted toys, ruling out sharp corners and loose pieces. He pulled a small wooden rattle from the shelf, the light tinkling of a bell rang when he shook it. It was perfect. It reminded him of her laugh, and of the toy Otabek and Yuri had given her that messy night of the treaty. He called to Viktor through their bond and his mate met him there, a small paper bag full of sweets. Mostly chocolate. As always.

They made their way to the counter and set their items in front of the clerk, who smiled warmly, in a very familiar way. Yuuri momentarily thought it odd, that someone of his nationality was working in a shop in the Northern Territories. The man’s face pulled at his mind in a strange way. Yuuri dug back through his memory to bring that smile back to the surface.

It had been _years._ So long, he’d nearly forgotten.

“Are you… Asahi? Sato Asahi?” Yuuri asked gently.

“Yes?” The man looked up from his counting, hopelessly confused. His eyes met Yuuri’s and twin emeralds blinked twice, owlishly. “Do I… _oh my gods_. Mari?” He called up the stairs, not breaking eye contact. Viktor made a questioning noise in the back of his throat, a hand on Yuuri's shoulder. Yuuri assuaged his noise with a gentle purr.

 _“ASAHI I SWEAR ON YOUR GRAVE UNLESS THIS IS IMPORTANT-”_ Yuuri recognized the voice of his sister. He began to weep.

“Mari, it's _really_ important. Come down, please.” Asahi implored her, not taking his eyes off Yuuri. 

“Damn you, I can't do all these stairs like this and you know it.” Mari slowly descended the stairs behind the counter, leaned back into hands supporting her lower back. She was heavily pregnant. Her hair was still short, the same shade of dark brown as their mother's. 

“Mari…” Yuuri croaked, pulling out of Viktor’s hand and extending both arms out to his sister. She looked up from her belly and met Yuuri’s eye.

“Yuuri? I- I thought you were… where have you…? _Yuuri_ …”

Yuuri wrapped his arms around his sister, stopping the half-spoken questions. “I thought I'd never see you again.” Yuuri cried openly into his sister's shoulder.

“When I heard about Mama, and Papa too, I was heartbroken. Then I got the letter from your mate... Yuuri, we thought you were dead.” Mari said, her voice tight.

“Letter?” Viktor broke his silence.

“We received a letter from Keijirou, that you had lost your child, and that you had died… we didn't want to believe it, I think a part of me never did.” He could smell the anger in his alpha.

 _“No need to think ill of the dead, dear.”_ Yuuri whispered across their bond. Viktor huffed and released the tension in his shoulders.

“I thought it seemed fishy.” Asahi added. “We were going to come looking for you, but we found out that Mari was carrying, and we couldn't very well leave by then.” The beta wrapped his arm around Mari’s waist, pressing a kiss to her temple. 

“Mari? How many?” Yuuri asked his sister quietly.

“How many what, Yuuri?”

“How many cousins does your niece have?” He pulled out of the hold, opening his cloak to reveal the babe asleep against his chest. The child had a full head of silvery-white hair, a familiar chocolate brown swam in her eyes. Long fingers and a heart-shaped smile. A soft gasp fell from his sister’s lips as she craned to see the child.

“Oh my gods, Yuuri… she’s beautiful.” Mari whispered, gently brushing the fair hair away from her eyes, the child’s silvery-white eyelashes looked to be made of pure spider’s silk as they fluttered open, brushing over her cheeks. A soft noise fell from those tiny lips as she shifted in her swaddle; a wide yawn stretched her heart-shaped smile open and she fell back into sleep. “I remember when you were born, Yuuri. You made the same sounds. You were so tiny, I was afraid I’d hurt you if I so much as looked at you wrong.” The siblings laughed gently, and Yuuri felt the soft swell of pride rolling through his mate.

“Sometimes I feel the same way about her.” Yuuri replied with a chuckle, pressing a kiss to the swirl of her hair at the crown of her head.

“I can already tell you’re doing an excellent job, Yuuri.” Mari ruffled his hair gently, bits falling from the plait Viktor had twisted for him. “As for you…” Mari said, lifting her gaze to Viktor’s moony features. “I can assume you're the sire, then?” Mari shifted her tone to protective older-sister mode as she lifted an accusatory finger at Yuuri's alpha. 

Viktor laughed nervously at the sudden intensity of her attention, subconsciously raking his fingers through his hair. Mari, a beta, was intimidating even to an alpha. “ _Hah_ , yes, that'd be me.” 

“You treating him good? Like the glowing beam of _fucking_ sunshine that he is?” She snapped, earning a small noise of worry from her mate. “Well?”

“Absolutely. My Yuuri lives a life of incalculable love and happiness.” He said firmly. Yuuri nodded and hummed softly.

“I do, Mari. I've found it. My life and love. Just like Mama said.” Yuuri's voice broke again, the noise waking the baby on his breast. She fussed for a moment, her needling cry piercing into Yuuri's omega and she hushed again, as Yuuri cooed her name and rocked her gently. Mari watched with rapt attention as her brother calmed the child with ease.

“Yuuri, you're a better mother than I am. It's incredible.” 

“I hate to pull the omega card, _nee-san_ , but I'm sort of built for it.” He laughed softly, not wanting to wake Umi again.

“So her name is Umiko? Umi… ko? Is -ko the same as…?” 

“Yes. She bears her grandmother's character.” Tears flowed and threatened to smear in Yuuri's glasses. Mari let a tear roll down her cheek as well, pulling Yuuri into her arms again.

“Let me go grab the boys. Hang on.” She said quietly, turning and waddling back up the stairs. The baby fussed a bit again, shifting in her swaddle. Yuuri was still faintly connected to her, and he could feel the gentle pull of hunger in her. It wouldn't be long before she would be awake and wanting to feed. 

Yuuri heard the faint voice of his sister as she descended the stairs again, carrying a child on one hip and leading another by the hand. They both looked just like Asahi. Dark, shaggy hair and green eyes. They both blinked at the strangers in their parents’ shop, unsure of what to do. Mari groaned as she set the small one down, gently whispering to them in their mother tongue to go say hello.

The older boy, who looked the spitting image of his father, walked right up to Yuuri and Viktor, bowed stiffly and said greeted them in the Common Tongue.

“Hello. My name is Sato Itsuki. I'm nine. Nice to meet you.” 

Viktor knelt down and met him eye to eye and Yuuri’s heart nearly burst. The fathering instincts had bled into his interactions with all children, not just their precious girl.

“Nice to meet you, Itsuki. My name's Viktor. I'm a bit older than nine.” Yuuri snorted a laugh and the alpha cast a small frown over his shoulder. 

“Viktor? Like… Nikiforov? Like the pirate? The one with the… earrings…?” The boy slowed his words as Viktor turned gently to the side, a flash of gold gleaming in the lamplight. He winked and pressed a finger to his lips. 

“Our little secret, okay?” Viktor whispered, too low for anyone else to hear, and the boy’s eyes went wide with joy.

“I like him, Mama.”

“Hiro, why don't you go say hi, sweetie?” She asked the younger boy, who looked like he would rather cry than greet a stranger. He turned and buried his face in Mari's chest. Yuuri froze at the name. _Hiro_. “How about, we go say hi together?” The boy nodded slowly, wordlessly. Mari hoisted him up on her hip again, walking slowly around the counter toward Yuuri and Viktor. She leaned over and whispered to him. 

_“Say, ‘Hi, my name is Sato Hiroshi’.”_

“Hi, m-my name is Sato Hiroshi.” He repeated in a tiny voice, barely above a whisper.

_“Say, ‘I’m four’.”_

“I’m four. And a half.” He added, growing a bit louder. A bit more comfortable.

_“Say, ‘My Mama and Papa call me Hiro’.”_

“My Mama and Papa call me Hiro.”

“Why do they call you that, Hiro?” Yuuri asked, his throat tight. He knew the answer.

“They call me Hiro because I’m named after my grandmother. Her name was Hiroko.” He answered Yuuri without prompting from Mari. 

“You know what, Hiro, my Mama’s name was Hiroko. And I named my daughter after her too. Her name is Umiko. Would you like to meet her?” Yuuri asked quietly, his voice falling easily into the warm, dulcet tones of motherly doting. Hiro nodded vigorously and climbed out of Mari’s arms. Yuuri found a seat on a small but cozy davenport to the side of the counter and unbuttoned his cloak, letting it fall off his shoulders. Umiko picked the perfect time to wake up and blink her beautiful mahogany eyes in the lamplight. 

“Wow… she’s so little.” Hiro said quietly, and Itsuki joined the small huddle of people around Yuuri.

“Her eyes look like my Mama’s.” Itsuki added.

“She’s brand new, Hiro. And yes, Itsuki. She has eyes just like your Mama, and just like me. And just like your Grandmother, Hiroko. She’s your cousin.” Yuuri said to the boys, who blinked at him owlishly, big green eyes like forest moss.

“Cousin?” Hiro asked, eyes flickering to his mother.

“Boys, I’ve told you about your Uncle Yuuri before, remember the stories?”

“Yeah! Uncle Yuuri was cool!” Itsuki said, his eyes lighting up. Mari didn’t say anything, just nodded at him and waited for her sons to understand.

“Uncle Yuuri?” Hiro said quietly, emerald eyes trained on mahogany.

“Yes?” Yuuri answered, nearly choking on his tears again.

“Can you make us your magic katsudon? Mama says it healed her broken leg once.” Itsuki asked excitedly. Yuuri laughed at the memory. His sister had demanded katsudon every day that she was forced to stay in bed, her leg mangled in an accident on the skating pond, and his mother had spent those months teaching Yuuri to make her signature dish.

“Probably not tonight, Itsuki. Umiko, her Papa and I need to go home and go to sleep. But maybe tomorrow, if your Mama will invite us over again.” Yuuri winked at Mari, who was giving him a thumbs-up behind Asahi’s back.

“Wait, who’s Umiko’s Papa?” Hiro asked in his small voice.

“Viktor is Umiko’s Papa. See how their hair matches?” Yuuri said kindly, running his fingers through his daughter’s hair gently. “We’re married, like your Mama and Papa are.”

“Oooooooohkay. I get it now. So he’s Uncle Viktor?” Hiro said, nodding.

“Yes he is. He’s your Uncle Viktor.” The alpha kneeled in front of the small couch, showing the boys his bond mark, which had recently re-healed back into a pinky-silvery scar.

“Cool scar! Are you an alpha?” Hiro asked, pointing at the mark.

“I am! You’re really smart, Hiro.” Viktor replied, and Yuuri swore he fell a little more in love with his husband. Mari motioned for Yuuri to follow her up the stairs, and he did, carefully ascending into the cozy loft apartment. Mari poured him a cup of tea and they sat in front of a small hearth, catching up and reminiscing. Umiko began to fuss, and Yuuri felt the hard pull of hunger, the sudden tightness in his chest.

“Sorry, someone’s a bit hungry. Can you help me with this?” He turned his back to Mari, and she gently pulled the tie of the swaddle loose, Yuuri laying his beautiful moonbeam in his lap and cooing as he unlaced the top of his shirt. Mari gave him a bit of privacy, draping a blanket over his shoulders as Umiko latched on. 

The swell of pheromones was dizzying for Yuuri, and Mari didn’t flinch at all. She couldn’t smell the soft, tangerine scent wafting through the air, or hear the gentle purring rumbling in his chest as he fed his beautiful girl. His Ocean Child. His nipples ached and the skin of his chest pulled and swelled uncomfortably, but every ounce of pain was worth knowing that he was providing sustenance for a living being. The sum of his love for Viktor. For their daughter.

“So you met the boys, and this little one,” she patted her distended belly, “is going to be the death of my bladder, I swear. I knew that Itsuki and Hiro were boys, but I’m not sure that this one is. It feels different.” Mari mused as she rubbed Yuuri’s back gently.

“What do you think of the name Harumi? That way, either way, you have a ray of sunshine. To remember me?” Yuuri said as he leaned into the reassuring touch from his sister. He didn’t have to explain his request. Mari could still faintly feel her bond to Yuuri, the sibling connection they had shared before they went their separate ways slowly growing stronger with their physical proximity. She could tell that the name meant something very special to her brother.

“I love it. Harumi. It fits perfectly. But, remember you? What do you mean, Yuu-chan?” Mari asked, confused. 

Yuuri shifted Umiko to the other side and winced when she latched, her gums tugging uncomfortably at his nipple. “I didn’t tell you what it is I’ve married into.”

“Oh, _nii-chan_ , I know what you’ve married into. Everyone knows that hair.” Yuuri chuckled tiredly.

“Guess it’s pretty obvious, huh?”

“Little brother, are you being safe? Is he taking good care of you? I wasn’t kidding earlier.”

He looked his sister in the eye, twin pairs of mahogany. “I swear it on my life. Viktor is the best thing that has ever happened to me. He saved me. And I saved him.”

“Okay, okay. I just… can’t lose you again.” Mari said, the beginnings of tears clinging to her eyelashes.

“You won’t. I swear it.” He reached out a hand and wiped away the tears in her eyes.

“So you gonna make us some magic katsudon tomorrow for dinner?” She said teasingly, after the tears stopped choking her.

“Only if you help. And buy the ingredients. Or maybe we should be truly evil and send Viktor and Asahi out for us. See if they bring back the right ingredients.” they laughed, and Umiko hiccupped in her adorable way. She had had her fill. Yuuri tucked himself away and wrapped her back up, Mari assisted him in tying the swaddle tightly against his chest again. They made their way back downstairs, where Viktor was telling the boys stories about sailing and the high seas. 

“Yuuri, I swear to the gods, if your husband turns my sons into pirates, I’m going to murder him.” Mari growled, mostly at Viktor.

“Sorry Mari!” Viktor apologized, pulling Hiro off his shoulders and setting him on the ground.

“Sorry Mama!” Itsuki and Hiro apologized too, bowing in respect. Viktor saw the gesture and quickly mirrored.

 _“Honestly.”_ Mari huffed in their first language. “Boys, it’s time for your uncles to go home for the night. Say your goodnights and it’s off to bed for both of you.” Mari said, gentle but firm. “And you, call me Mari-neesan.” Viktor beamed and Yuuri could feel the surge of pride through their bond. He had taught Viktor about the honorifics of their culture; he knew what it meant to be invited to call Mari his sister. 

“But Mama, Uncle Viktor was gonna tell us about his ship!” Hiro unhelpfully added, whining a bit.

“Sato Hiroshi, it is far past your bedtime. You may hear about Uncle Viktor’s ship another time. Say your goodnight and it’s off to bed. I won’t repeat myself.”

“Goodnight, Uncle Viktor.” Itsuki grumbled.

“Night night, Uncle Viktor.” Hiro added.

“Night boys! See you tomorrow!” Viktor called after them as they climbed the stairs. Yuuri picked up his cloak from the counter, wrapping it around his shoulders again and melting into Viktor’s side. He left a gentle kiss at Yuuri’s temple, murmuring a soft, _‘Thank you for making me a father, Yuura.’_ through their bond. Yuuri smiled softly and returned the thought. _‘And thank you for making me a mother, Vitya.’_

Mari waddled back down after putting the boys to bed with a groan and the four of them made plans for the following day, and the day following that one, and the day following that one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, another ending. *sniff* Once again, I don't want to say goodbye to this au, I'm not ready lol
> 
> Thank you to everyone for reading and for encouraging me in this journey. Really. I wouldn't have made it without all of you. I hope you've enjoyed this fic, this universe, these characters, this weird mix of tropes and nonsense that began all the way back in 2016. 
> 
> I'll be putting this on the shelf after this. Did you enjoy this fic and the universe it's set in? Let me know in the comments! I love to hang out and chat down there. Please don't be shy. Come say hi. :) Or follow me in my other places, links below. Drop a kudos if you enjoyed, little red hearts make my day. ❤️
> 
> Love you all so much. Thank you.
> 
> ❤️ IA ❤️  
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